Former Israeli leader Barak joins with left-wing in election run

Former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak on Thursday announced a joint run with a left-wing party in a September election to try to end Benjamin Netanyahu's long tenure as the country's leader in a campaign targeting what he calls corrupt rule.

Making a political comeback at 77, Barak has been polling poorly. He has called for the creation of a strong bloc of centre-left parties to challenge Netanyahu's right-wing Likud and its allies. In office for the past decade, Netanyahu faces a pre-trial hearing in October with Israel's attorney-general, who has announced his intention to indict him on fraud and bribery charges stemming from three corruption investigations.

Netanyahu had denied any wrongdoing. Last weekend, he became Israel's longest-serving prime minister. Barak has said he returned to politics ahead of the parliamentary election to end what he termed Netanyahu's corrupt leadership.