Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said in closed-door talks that his Likud party will lose the upcoming elections "unless something changes", conceding severe ground to the opposition.
Netanyahu acknowledged that his party has lost 10 seats, according to Israel's public broadcaster KAN.
"I do not know how to get them back," he reportedly said.
According to the broadcaster, Netanyahu's remarks showed that he is sceptical of opinion polls that favour him and believes his party's position is worse than reflected in those surveys.
Opinion polls indicate a sharp decline in Likud's support alongside notable gains for Yashar, led by Gadi Eisenkot, whilst polls conducted by groups close to the Israeli right show more favourable results for Netanyahu.
Opposition surge
Earlier on Wednesday, a poll conducted by Israel's Channel 13 showed that if elections were held today, Eisenkot's party would win 24 seats, down two from the channel's previous survey last week.
Likud, meanwhile, would secure 19 seats, down from 23 in the previous poll.
According to the results, the bloc of Jewish opposition parties led by Eisenkot would secure 57 seats, compared with 48 for Netanyahu's coalition bloc, whilst Arab parties would win 15 seats.
A governing coalition in Israel requires the support of at least 61 lawmakers in the 120-seat Knesset.
Regarding the candidates' suitability for prime minister, Eisenkot leads with 46 percent support, compared with 35 percent for Netanyahu, whilst 19 percent said they "do not know," according to the same survey.
General elections are scheduled in Israel for October 27 and are widely seen as decisive for Netanyahu's political future as he faces accusations of corruption, authoritarianism, and failure.
He is also wanted by the International Criminal Court for war crimes committed in Gaza during Israel's genocide in the enclave since October 2023.
