Democrats Take Control of US Congress; Israel Seeks Government Unity

Democrats have seized control of the U.S. Congress in midterm elections, a significant setback for President Donald Trump that is expected to create numerous obstacles for his administration in the remaining two years of his term. With majorities in both the House of Representatives and the Senate, Democrats will now have the power to impede Trump's legislative agenda and reject his government and judicial appointments. Trump congratulated the Democrats on their victory but refused to accept personal responsibility, instead blaming members of his own Republican party. He told Fox News, "Congratulations to the Democrats. They did a great job," adding, "They have been after it for 11 years and finally achieved it. But I don't see it as a blow to me."

In Iran, Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei stated that those expecting a policy shift from the U.S. are mistaken. Iran's chief negotiator and Parliament Speaker, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, interpreted the American vote as a "no to war."

Meanwhile, Israeli President Isaac Herzog called on political party leaders to reach compromises and form a government, acknowledging that the recent elections did not produce a clear winner. He also condemned "racist" rhetoric directed at Arab citizens. Herzog's remarks precede his consultations with party leaders to assign someone the task of forming the new government, as neither outgoing Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu nor his main rival Gadi Eisenkot secured a decisive majority. The Central Elections Committee in Israel announced that its audit of last week's vote found no irregularities affecting the integrity of the election, following accusations by Netanyahu that Arab parties attempted to "steal the election."

In Lebanon, Prime Minister Nawaf Salam warned against dragging the country into a new war, a statement seemingly directed at Hezbollah. In Sri Lanka, thousands protested in the capital, Colombo, against proposed legislation on combating terrorism and organized crime, which civil society groups view as a restriction of freedoms. North Korea's influential sister of leader Kim Jong Un indicated Pyongyang is not particularly interested in resuming dialogue with Washington, stating the country "does not need to sit face-to-face with people who are so untrustworthy and hostile."

The Kremlin expressed hope that President Trump would continue mediation efforts for the Ukraine conflict following the U.S. midterm election results. Russian authorities are working to restore electricity in Crimea after Ukrainian strikes caused an outage. The Indian Embassy in Saudi Arabia announced the death of another Indian national from injuries sustained in a Houthi attack on Riyadh Airport on October 10. China emphasized that preventing the resumption of hostilities in the Middle East is a "top priority" for its diplomatic efforts in the region and warned Britain against "distorting its image" after a report suggested Beijing might plan AI-powered cyberattacks on UK infrastructure. European Council President Antonio Costa announced that EU leaders will discuss artificial intelligence at an upcoming summit. Voters in South Africa participated in local elections, with results expected to indicate the general mood ahead of national elections. The Red Cross urged leaders attending the UN Climate Change Conference to increase investments to protect vulnerable populations from the impacts of global warming.