Opinion polls published by the Israeli media Friday, the last day polling is allowed, showed that the centrist Blue and White list led by former military chief Benny Gantz would take 4-5 seats more than Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's right-wing Likud bloc.
But the polls were unanimous in forecasting that Likud would be able to build a viable ruling coalition to beat off Gantz's challenge.
In the run-up to Tuesday's vote, Netanyahu has campaigned heavily, receiving local and foreign support. Yet he is forecast to get 27 seats in the 120-member parliament.
Netanyahu has hosted Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, visited US President Donald Trump in the White House and received American recognition of Israeli sovereignty over the Golan Heights, which Israel seized from Syria during the 1967 Mideast war.
On Thursday, Netanyahu paid a surprise visit to Russia, where President Vladimir Putin announced his country's instrumental role in recovering the remains of an Israeli soldier who went missing in action in Lebanon in 1982.
The return of the soldier's remains, along with a visit this week by Brazil's president, Jair Bolsonaro, has given Netanyahu another diplomatic victory late in the campaign.
Yet, Netanyahu has fallen behind his main challenger in opinion polls.
