Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has been indicted in a series of corruption cases including bribery, fraud and breach of trust.
Israel's Attorney General said on Thursday that Netanyahu accepted hundreds of thousands of dollars of champagne and cigars from billionaire friends and offered to trade favors with a newspaper publisher.
The attorney rejected accusations his decision was politically motivated.
"Law enforcement is not a matter of choice. This is not a matter of right or left. This is not a matter of politics."
Calling the allegations part of a witch hunt, Netanyahu angrily accused prosecutors of staging an attempted coup.
"Tonight, we are witnessing an attempted coup against a prime minister, using false accusations, and a tainted and biased investigation process."
The indictment does not require Netanyahu to resign.
However, it does significantly weaken him at a time when Israel's political system appears to be heading towards a third election in under a year.