Retired Lt. Gen. Benny Gantz, a popular former Israeli armed forces chief, jumped into the country's political fray on Thursday, announcing he would run for office in the upcoming election. He has instantly brought perhaps the strongest challenge to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s lengthy rule, AP said. Gantz has been polling favorably in recent weeks, emerging as a fresh face in Israel’s political landscape. By officially registering his new party, ‘Israel Resilience,’ Gantz has shaken up a snap three-month election campaign. Several polls showed Gantz’s fledgling party coming in second only to Netanyahu’s ruling Likud in the run-up to the April 9 vote.