Foreign Minister Avigdor Liberman, head of the Yisrael Beytenu party, said on Tuesday night that his party had survived a “targeted assassination attempt”, as exit polls showed that Yisrael Beytenu was barely over the threshold with just five seats.

Speaking at campaign headquarters, Liberman said, “I’ve been through a lot of elections. This campaign was simply impossible.”

“We dealt with forces both from within and outside the political system, who got together to eliminate our party, but they failed – and they will not succeed,” he declared.

“We are waiting for final results, and only after that the president will ask someone to form the next government,” said Liberman, who called for a change in the system of governance in Israel.

“The entire process of the formation of the coalition is impossible. We must understand that Israel needs to be conducted in a serious way,” he concluded.

Throughout the campaign Liberman has blamed “mysterious forces” for trying to bring down his party, as a corruption scandal involving members of his party was exposed right as the campaign began.

Before the last elections, Liberman was forced to resign from his position as Foreign Minister, after the Attorney General decided to indict him on charges of fraud and breach of trust.

A three-judge panel unanimously acquitted Liberman of the charges against him last November, and he subsequently returned to office as Foreign Minister.