Israel submitted on Friday formal challenges to the International Criminal Court over its jurisdiction and the legality of arrest warrant requests against Israeli leaders for their conduct of the Gaza war, the Foreign Ministry said.
Israel's filings might further delay a decision on the warrants, requested in May against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defence Minister Yoav Gallant.
ICC Prosecutor Karim Khan last month urged judges to rule on the warrants, sought also against Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar and others in the Palestinian terrorist group.
The Israeli Foreign Ministry said that its first legal brief outlined the ICC's "manifest lack of jurisdiction" in the case.
The second paper, it said, argues that the ICC Prosecutor breached court rules by "failing to provide Israel with the opportunity to exercise its right to investigate by itself the claims raised by the Prosecutor, before proceeding."