Israel election 2019 news: Israelis head to polls to vote in country's second general election in five months

Israelis are heading to the polls to cast their vote in the country's second general election in five months.

The election will decide whether prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu stays in power, despite him currently facing a raft of corruption charges.

Mr Netanyahu is the longest serving leader in Israeli history, and is seeking a fourth consecutive term in office and fifth overall.

He faces a strong challenge from retired military chief Benny Gantz, whose centrist Blue and White party is running neck and neck with Mr Netanyahu's Likud.

Both parties could struggle to form a majority coalition with smaller allies, though, forcing them into a potential unity government.

Mr Netanyahu has tried to portray himself as a statesman who is uniquely qualified to lead the country through challenging times. Mr Gantz seeks to paint the prime minister as divisive and scandal-plagued, presenting himself as a calming influence and an honest alternative.

The vote marks their second showdown of the year after drawing even in the previous election in April.

Mr Netanyahu appeared poised to remain in office at the time, with his traditional allies of nationalist and ultra-religious Jewish parties controlling a parliamentary majority.

However Avigdor Lieberman, his mercurial ally-turned-rival, refused to join the new coalition, citing excessive influence it granted the ultra-Orthodox Jewish parties.

Without a parliamentary majority, Mr Netanyahu dissolved parliament and called a new election.

Opinion polls have forecast similar results this time around, potentially putting Mr Lieberman in the role of kingmaker.

The performance by the Soviet-born politician's Yisrael Beitenu party is just one of the factors that could determine Mr Netanyahu's future. Several small parties are fighting to squeak past the minimum 3.25 per cent threshold for entering parliament.

The performances of these parties could make or break Mr Netanyahu's ability to form a coalition. Heavier turnout by Arab voters, many of whom stayed home in April, could also hurt Mr Netanyahu.

The Israeli leader is desperate to secure a narrow 61-seat majority in parliament with his hard-line religious and nationalist allies who are expected to approve legislation that would grant the PM immunity from prosecution.

Israel's attorney general has recommended pressing criminal charges against Netanyahu in three separate corruption cases, pending a long delayed pre-trial hearing scheduled next month.

With his career on the line, Mr Netanyahu has campaigned furiously and taken a late hard turn to the right in hopes of rallying his nationalist base.