Israel's Netanyahu takes stand in corruption trial as war in Gaza grinds, neighboring Syria's dictator falls

Tel Aviv, Israel — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu took the stand Tuesday in his long-running trial for alleged corruption, setting off what's expected to be a weekslong spectacle that will draw unwelcome attention to his legal woes as he faces an international arrest warrant for war crimes and the fighting in Gaza continues. It is the first time a sitting Israeli prime minister takes the stand as a criminal defendant, an embarrassing milestone for a leader who has tried to cultivate an image as a sophisticated and respected statesman.

Upon starting his testimony, Netanyahu said "hello" to the judges. One judge told him he had the same privileges as other witnesses and could sit or stand as he chose.

"I waited eight years for this moment, to say the truth," Netanyahu said, standing at a podium in a packed Tel Aviv courtroom. He called the charges against him "an ocean of absurdness" and promised his version would cut through the prosecution's case.