Yair Netanyahu, the eldest son of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, is suspected of having become the target of an Iranian plan to assassinate him while he was staying in Florida. The news was made public by the American media outlet Newsmax, citing a source close to U.S. law enforcement agencies.
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The information was reported only a few days after Benjamin Netanyahu said that Iran had attempted to kill one of his sons, without clarifying whether he was referring to Yair or Avner.
During an interview with Channel 14, the Israeli prime minister said: “There is something here that is unbelievable. Iran targeted one of my sons. Iran tried to kill him.”
After being informed of the threat, Yair Netanyahu, who is protected by an Israeli security team, was ordered to leave the place where he was staying without delay. According to reports, he departed without even taking his personal belongings and returned to Israel, where he has remained ever since.
The plot had been known to some media outlets for several months, according to Israel’s Channel 12, but military censorship had previously prevented the information from being published.
Yair is Benjamin Netanyahu’s eldest son, while his brother Avner lives in Israel. He has spent a considerable amount of time in the Miami area and has been portrayed as a strong supporter of conservative politics and of his father.
The Israeli prime minister cited this case as an argument for the necessity of the protective measures provided to members of his family.
“This is why this security is not a luxury,” Netanyahu said, warning that those targeting his family could achieve their goal in the absence of adequate protection.
In July, Israel decided to extend Shin Bet protection for Netanyahu’s wife, Sara, as well as for his sons Yair and Avner. The decision provides for the security measures protecting them to continue for five years, even if Netanyahu is no longer prime minister.
The suspicions surrounding the plan in Florida are considered part of a series of threats and assassination plots for which U.S. authorities have blamed Iran.
Earlier, the U.S. Department of Justice brought charges against individuals with ties to Iran over plots targeting American officials. In 2024, federal prosecutors charged Farhad Shakeri, who was suspected of acting on behalf of Iran, with involvement in a plot aimed at assassinating Donald Trump.
Another case was recorded in 2022, when U.S. authorities charged Shahram Pourshafi, a member of Iran’s Revolutionary Guard, with allegedly attempting to organize the assassination of former U.S. National Security Adviser John Bolton. Prosecutors said he had offered $300,000 for Bolton’s elimination.
Mike Pompeo, the former U.S. secretary of state, has also been named among those suspected of being threatened by Iran.
The tensions have also affected the family of U.S. President Donald Trump. During this week, Iranian state television broadcast threatening material that mentioned Barron Trump, the president’s 20-year-old son.
The program on Iran’s Channel 3 was titled “Where and How Should We Kill Barron Trump?” During the broadcast, it was claimed that the president’s son’s movements had been tracked, while information related to his university, vehicles, and security arrangements was presented.
The U.S. Secret Service said it was aware of the video and confirmed that it was investigating threats directed at individuals under its protection, without making details about the security measures public.
Threatening material targeting the Trump family has also previously been published by Iranian media. Last month, posters bearing the slogan “Blood for Blood” were put up in Tehran’s Palestine Square, depicting Donald Trump and members of his family.
