Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has claimed that Iran attempted to assassinate one of his two sons, but did not reveal which of them was allegedly targeted or provide details about when, where or how the plot was supposed to have taken place. Netanyahu made the allegation during a telephone interview with Israel’s Channel 14 while discussing the need for security protection for political leaders and their families. The prime minister has two sons, Yair and Avner, both of whom receive state protection. Netanyahu cited the alleged Iranian threat as evidence that security for his family should not be viewed as a privilege but as a necessary protective measure. He also said he had spoken with the head of Israel’s Shin Bet domestic security agency and requested appropriate protection for any candidate for prime minister who faces a genuine security threat. The statement comes at a particularly sensitive moment for Israel, roughly two months before the October 27 general election and against the backdrop of the continuing confrontation with Iran.
No evidence has so far been publicly presented that would independently confirm the alleged plot against Netanyahu’s son. The prime minister did not explain how Israeli intelligence discovered the threat, how advanced the alleged operation had become or whether anyone had been arrested in connection with it. Iran’s mission to the United Nations also did not respond to a Reuters request for comment on the accusation. The claim nevertheless comes against the background of a long-running intelligence confrontation between Israel and Iran, with both sides repeatedly accusing each other of espionage, sabotage and operations targeting senior figures. In 2024, a drone struck Netanyahu’s private residence in Caesarea, an incident the Israeli prime minister described at the time as an assassination attempt against him and his wife and blamed on Iran-backed forces. The latest allegation of a plot targeting one of his sons therefore adds another dimension to concerns surrounding the security of the Israeli leader’s family, but without further information from Israeli authorities it remains impossible to independently establish when or how the alleged Iranian operation was planned.
