JERUSALEM (AP) — The veteran Israeli politician Avigdor Lieberman took the political gamble of his life when he spurned his mentor, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and forced an unprecedented repeat election. As results began rolling in from Tuesday's vote, it appeared to have paid off.

With neither Netanyahu's Likud nor former military chief Benny Gantz's centrist Blue and White party forecast to secure a majority in the 120-seat parliament without his support, Lieberman has emerged as the election's true winner — the one most likely to dictate the makeup of the next government.

Gantz, whose party seems to have edged Likud, has ruled out sitting with a Netanyahu-led Likud. The prime minister is expected to be indicted on corruption charges in the coming weeks.

That could spell the end of Netanyahu's lengthy rule.