JERUSALEM (AP) — A visibly frantic Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is in the fight of his political life as the country heads to national elections for the second time this year.

Netanyahu is locked in a razor tight race and faces the likelihood of criminal corruption charges. That's why a decisive victory in Tuesday's vote may be the only thing to keep him out of the courtroom.

A repeat of the deadlock in April's election, or a victory by challenger Benny Gantz, could spell the end of the career of the man who has led the country for the past decade.

But it may well be the things he can't control — including a former political ally turned rival and attacks by Palestinian militants in the Gaza Strip — that bring him down.