Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is claiming that the Islamic Republic of Iran attempted to kill one of his children, and a subsequent report claims it was his son living in Florida.
The Israeli premier made the accusation during an interview with Israeli outlet Channel 14, in which he stressed the need for politicians to be protected by government security. Promising to instruct Israeli law enforcement to boost security for all prime ministerial candidates ahead of the October election, he said the issue is personal to him.
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“Iran targeted one of my sons. Iran tried to murder him, tried to murder one of my sons,” the premier told the outlet, as reported by the Jerusalem Post.
The correspondent asked Netanyahu whether this was intelligence he received from state agencies, but Netanyahu did not directly address the question.
“Iran tried to murder one of my sons. And this is why this promise is more than a luxury — without it, they could succeed,” he said.
Netanyahu said he reached out to Shin Bet chief David Zini and “asked him to provide appropriate security to any prime ministerial candidate” before Israelis head to the polls on Oct. 27.
Netanyahu has three children — a daughter and two sons. He did not clarify during the interview which of his two sons was the target.
His oldest son is Yair Netanyahu, a 35-year-old political activist and podcaster who has positioned himself as an online attack dog for his father. He has lived in Florida for several years.
His younger son, Avner Netanyahu, is 31 years old and lives in Israel. He has a smaller public presence than his older brother, working for an investment firm focusing on defense technology.
Newsmax released a report on Wednesday asserting that it was Yair who was targeted by Iranian operatives for assassination. Citing an unnamed U.S. law enforcement official, the report claims Iranians were “on the ground” around his Miami home and surveilling his residence.
He was reportedly urged by U.S. law enforcement to flee the area immediately and has returned to Israel.
Neither Netanyahu nor his son has commented on the details of that report.
Iran frequently threatens to assassinate world leaders and their family members, though the threats vary in their level of efficacy.
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President Donald Trump quietly switched airplanes for his return flight from Turkey in July after U.S. intelligence determined there was a significant threat of attack on Air Force One from the Islamic Republic.
The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps released a propaganda video this month claiming to have surveillance on the president’s son, Barron Trump. The clip, posted online with a bounty of $10 million for the younger Trump’s assassination, provided the alleged locations most frequently visited by the president’s son and individuals known to associate with him.
