Israeli opposition leader Yair Lapid tasked with forming a government

President Reuven Rivlin chooses another candidate to build a government after Benjamin Netanyahu fails to meet deadline

Israel's president has tasked the head of the opposition, Yair Lapid, with forming a government after Benjamin Netanyahu failed to do so, leaving the country's longest-serving leader facing a fresh challenge to his historic hold on power.

Netanyahu's rightwing Likud party won the most seats in a March election and was given 28 days to build a majority coalition government. But that deadline passed on Tuesday, allowing Reuven Rivlin to choose another candidate.