Netanyahu Claims Iran Tried to Kill His Son Amid Escalating Conflict
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has claimed that Iran attempted to assassinate one of his two sons. The startling statement was made by Netanyahu during a telephone interview, although he did not provide further details regarding the incident.
“Something extraordinary has happened: Iran targeted one of my sons. Iran tried to kill one of my sons,” Netanyahu said in an interview with Israeli television channel Channel 14.
The statement emerged amid discussion of reports that Israel’s domestic security agency, Shin Bet, had refused to provide security protection for Gadi Eisenkot. Eisenkot is a former armed forces chief of staff who is now in a tight race with Netanyahu ahead of elections scheduled for 27 October.
Netanyahu voiced his support for Eisenkot to receive full 24-hour protection and stressed that such protection “is not a luxury.” He added, “Without it, (the Iranians) would succeed.”
To date, there has been no clarity on which son was the target of the alleged attack. Netanyahu is known to have two sons and one daughter. His eldest son, 35-year-old Yair, has spent considerable time in Miami since early 2024 under Shin Bet protection.
Yair’s presence in the United States has sparked controversy in Israel over the substantial security costs borne by taxpayers. Additionally, a number of residents in south Florida have voiced concerns that Yair’s presence could make their residential areas a target for attacks by Israel’s enemies.
Shortly after Netanyahu’s statement was published, prominent Israeli journalist Amit Segal wrote on his Telegram channel that the alleged assassination attempt had actually been known for “months,” but was subject to a gag order.
Netanyahu’s statement came amid a very high escalation of conflict between Israel and Iran. Previously, Israel killed Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei along with several members of his family in the opening wave of a joint US-Israel attack on 28 February.
A week after that event, Ali Khamenei’s son, Mojtaba Khamenei, was appointed as Iran’s new Supreme Leader. Through a message read on his behalf on state television, Mojtaba stated that in addition to his father, he also lost his wife, sister, nephew and brother-in-law in the attack.
Mojtaba Khamenei himself has not been seen in public since his appointment and was reported to have been wounded in the attack that killed his father. In another message attributed to him during his father’s funeral ceremony, Iran’s new leader vowed to “avenge the blood” of Ali Khamenei.
Meanwhile, the exchange of deadly attacks between the two sides continues as the geopolitical situation in the region heats up.