BIG: Israeli Channel 12 reports Trump administration officials have quietly opened backchannel contacts with opposition leaders Naftali Bennett and Gadi Eisenkot, hedging against Netanyahu ahead of Israel's elections (due by October 2026). Bennett and Eisenkot are seen as top contenders to replace Netanyahu, with Eisenkot's Yashar! party rising in polls and Bennett's "change bloc" coordinating with Lapid, Gantz, and Liberman.