Israeli opposition parties face midnight deadline to form government

Yair Lapid's 28-day mandate to forge majority and end Netanyahu's time as PM ends on Wednesday

Israeli opposition politicians have until midnight on Wednesday to hash out final negotiations to build a coalition government that would end Benjamin Netanyahu's 12-year run as prime minister.

Under the country's election laws, opposition leader Yair Lapid's 28-day mandate to forge a majority by allying with rival parties ends on Wednesday. By this time, he should have informed the president he has succeeded.