Likud’s Tel Aviv billboard groups NYC Mayor Mamdani with Iran and Hezbollah leaders

Key points

• The Likud billboard, located in Tel Aviv overlooking the Ayalon Highway, features superimposed images of Mamdani, Khamenei, Erdogan, and Qassem with the slogan: 'They want Netanyahu to lose; don’t let them win.'
• Netanyahu shared the billboard on social media, captioning it 'Don’t let them win,' while The Guardian notes he also posted a video of Mamdani calling him a 'war criminal.'
• The Independent and The Guardian confirm the billboard was a response to Mamdani’s vocal opposition to Israel’s Gaza war and his call for US authorities to enforce an ICC arrest warrant for Netanyahu.
• Israeli politicians retaliated with parodies: Yashar’s Gadi Eisenkot posted a version claiming Netanyahu wants the IDF to collapse, while MK Naama Lazimi swapped the faces for figures linked to the 'Qatargate' scandal.
• Current polling shows Eisenkot’s Yashar party leading with 24 Knesset seats, Likud at 22, and Naftali Bennett’s B'Yachad at 15, ahead of the October vote.
• The Guardian notes Netanyahu recently described the UK as an 'Islamic republic' in a podcast, a comment that intensified the broader political friction surrounding the billboard.

Background

This campaign move follows a series of escalating tensions between Netanyahu and Mamdani, who has criticized Israel’s Gaza war and threatened to enforce an ICC arrest warrant in New York. The billboard also arrives amid stalled US-Israeli ceasefire talks and a July dissolution of the Knesset, setting the stage for the first Israeli elections since the 2023 Hamas-led attacks.

How outlets are covering it

The Jerusalem Post frames the billboard as a direct attack on Netanyahu’s political enemies, while The Guardian emphasizes the international fallout, including Netanyahu’s recent 'Islamic republic' comments about the UK. The Independent focuses on the domestic political retaliation, highlighting how rivals like Lazimi and Eisenkot turned the ad against Netanyahu by linking it to the Qatargate scandal and military concerns. The Telegraph was inaccessible due to a security block, so no perspective could be extracted.

Why it matters

The billboard signals a highly polarized election campaign, where Netanyahu’s party is leveraging international and domestic opposition to rally support. It also reflects the deepening rift between Israel and progressive US figures, potentially impacting US-Israeli relations and the broader Gaza conflict.

What to watch

Expect further political sparring as the October 2026 elections approach, with rivals likely continuing to mock the Likud ad. The outcome of the Gaza ceasefire talks and any developments in the Qatargate investigation will also shape the political landscape.