Netanyahu's Party Puts Mamdani Next to Iran, Hezbollah Chiefs in Explosive Election Billboard

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's Likud party has compared New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani with the leaders of Iran and Hezbollah in a campaign billboard in central Tel Aviv. The billboard shows Mamdani alongside Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, Iran's Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei and Hezbollah leader Naim Qassem.

"They want Netanyahu to lose … Don't let them win," the poster says, alongside the logo of Netanyahu's Likud party.

Netanyahu has entered campaign mode as he seeks to keep his far-right coalition in power ahead of elections in October.

Israel's parliament, the Knesset, was dissolved in July, paving the way for the country's first election since the Hamas-led attacks of 7 October 2023.

The billboard is the latest escalation in a public dispute between Netanyahu and Mamdani, who has been a vocal critic of Israel's war in Gaza.

Netanyahu-Mamdani Feud

Netanyahu and Mamdani have been engaged in war of words since last month after the latter described the Israeli PM as a "war criminal" who "belonged in The Hague".

Mamdani also called on US authorities to enforce the International Criminal Court's arrest warrant for Mr Netanyahu if the Israeli prime minister attends the UN General Assembly in New York in September.

Netanyahu responded by accusing Mamdani of "fomenting hate" and of turning different religious groups against each other in New York. He has also expressed concern that long-standing bipartisan support for Israel in the US could be weakened by progressive Democrats aligned with Mamdani.

Netanyahu Campaign

Netanyahu posted an image of the billboard on social media on Sunday, alongside a video showing Mamdani making his comments about the Israeli leader.

Netanyahu's coalition is trailing in opinion polls as the election approaches.

The attack on Mamdani also comes after Netanyahu described the UK as "the Islamic republic of Britain" in a podcast interview this week.

Speaking to Israel's army radio, he also called Britain the "first Islamic republic to get a nuclear weapon". His remarks were criticised as playing into a far-right Islamophobic trope about Britain's Muslim population.