WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) — President Donald Trump on Sunday endorsed embattled Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for reelection, a coveted boost because of Trump’s popularity but one that the U.S. leader withheld for months as their strategies in the Middle East diverged.

Trump said in a post on social media that Netanyahu “has been a Great Warrior Prime Minister, and an even greater Partner for Peace in combatting the Islamic Republic of Iran.”

Israelis are set to vote Oct. 27, in the first national elections since the 2023 Hamas attack on Israel.

The absence of an endorsement was a setback for the Likud party politician, who had billed his tight ties to Trump as a selling point for keeping him in power.