Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Monday that Iran had tried to kill one of his sons, but did not say when the alleged attempt took place, which son Iran targeted or how close the alleged plot came to being carried out.
Netanyahu made the claim during a telephone interview with Israel’s Channel 14 while responding to reports about security arrangements for Gadi Eisenkot, a political rival ahead of Israel’s October 27 general election.
“As for my sons. Here, I think there is something quite unbelievable, yes. Iran targeted one of my sons. Iran tried to kill, to murder one of my sons,” Netanyahu said.
“Iran tried to murder one of my sons, and therefore this security protection is not a luxury,” he added, without giving further details about the alleged plot.
Netanyahu’s comments come amid heightened tensions following the Unites States (US)-Israeli war on Iran, which began in February. Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and other senior Iranian leaders were killed during the conflict.
It remained unclear which of Netanyahu’s sons he was referring to. His elder son, Yair Netanyahu, lives in Miami.
Netanyahu also said that he had told Shin Bet security agency chief David Zini that appropriate security should be provided to any candidate running for prime minister. Israeli media had earlier reported that Zini declined to provide security for Eisenkot and told the country’s election authority that there was no plot to harm him.
Eisenkot’s party is projected to win the largest number of seats in the election. Israeli governments, however, usually form through coalitions between multiple parties rather than a single party securing a parliamentary majority.
