Israeli PM may announce early elections Tuesday night

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu may announce early elections on Tuesday night, Israeli media reported, quoting sources from the ruling Likud party. Parliamentary elections will be held in January 2013, and not Feb. 13, 2013, a date that had been previously discussed, the sources told The Jerusalem Post. The sources said that Netanyahu would hold elections earlier than scheduled in order to catch his opponents off guard and to minimize damage to the economy. The Prime Minister's Office confirmed to Xinhua that Netanyahu, who had held consultations with leaders of the parties of the governing coalition, will issue a statement at a press conference on Tuesday evening. Netanyahu has warned that he would call early elections if his coalition partners fail to agree on a 2013 budget. The mandate of the current government will end at the end of 2013 and the elections, originally, will take place in October 2013.