On Monday, August 24th, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated that Iran had attempted to kill one of his sons, but did not provide further details.
According to the Jerusalem Post, Netanyahu revealed during a phone interview with Israel’s Channel 14 that Iran had tried to “assassinate” his son, emphasizing that security protection for prime ministerial candidates is “not a luxury.”
Israel is set to hold elections on October 27th, and Netanyahu has announced his intention to seek re-election.
Netanyahu did not specify which of his two sons was targeted, nor did he disclose how Israeli intelligence discovered the plot, or what actions Iran took.
Netanyahu and his wife Sara have two sons. Their eldest son Yair was born in 1991 and served in the Israeli Defense Forces before living in the United States in Miami for an extended period. Yair has gained some fame in the Israeli political scene through his frequent political commentary on social media. The younger son, Avner, was born in 1994 and also served in the Israeli Defense Forces but has had less public involvement in politics and lower media exposure.
In July of this year, the Ministerial Committee on Security Affairs responsible for the Israeli Security Agency (Shin Bet) approved the extension of security protection for Netanyahu’s two sons for at least 5 more years, regardless of the outcome of the October elections. The security protection for Sara was also extended for the duration of Netanyahu’s life.
As of now, the Iranian Permanent Mission to the United Nations has not responded to the allegations.
Netanyahu has requested that the Shin Bet director, David Zini, ensure that all prime ministerial candidates receive appropriate security protection.