The Shin Bet domestic security agency has confirmed a significant Iranian threat targeting Yair Netanyahu, son of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, prompting an urgent extraction operation to bring him back to Israel from his residence in Florida.
Shin Bet Confirms Urgent Miami Extraction Over Assessed Threat
The Israel Security Agency confirmed that intelligence regarding a significant threat to harm Yair Netanyahu triggered an emergency operational decision to bring him back to the country alongside his security detail. According to details published by the Boca Raton-based Newsmax website on Tuesday, citing a US law enforcement source allegedly familiar with the situation, Israeli intelligence uncovered an Iranian plot in December targeting the younger Netanyahu while he lived in Hallandale Beach, north of Miami, Florida.
Security assessments indicated that an Iranian cell was already “on the ground” in the Miami area and had even conducted surveillance on Yair’s residence and movements, gathering information about his daily routine. Once the intelligence was discovered, U.S. authorities were urgently notified. Yair Netanyahu, who is accompanied by close Israeli security at all times, was instructed to leave the location immediately. According to the report, he left without taking his belongings and returned directly to Israel, where he currently lives under heavy security protection.
While the Shin Bet confirmed the emergency extraction and the existence of a severe threat, stating that there was a significant threat to harm Yair Netanyahu,
and that in light of this, and following a situation assessment, a decision was made to urgently extract him, together with his security detail, back to Israel,
the agency did not publicly confirm the other details reported by Newsmax. Security sources stated that we are not familiar here with a last-minute thwarting that was about to be carried out,
thereby clarifying that no incident is known in which a terror cell was stopped or an assassination against the younger Netanyahu in Miami was prevented. Misgav rejected the claims entirely, calling them “fake.” Despite reservations about the nature of the immediate threat, the Shin Bet chose not to take unnecessary risks, deciding to drastically increase the security apparatus around the prime minister’s son and instruct him to return to Israel immediately.
Prime Minister Netanyahu Links Family Security to Regional War
Addressing political scrutiny regarding state-funded security arrangements, the prime minister revealed that Iran had attempted to target one of his sons, though he initially declined to say whether the target was Yair or Avner. Netanyahu’s allegation underscores the heightened tensions since the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran began in February, during which Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and other senior Iranian leaders were killed.
There is something here that is unimaginable,
Netanyahu said during his Channel 14 interview. Iran marked one of my sons. Iran tried to murder him – tried to murder one of my sons.
In a telephone interview with Israel’s Channel 14 on Monday, Netanyahu reiterated the claim while responding to reports that one of Israel’s security agencies had refused to provide protection for a political rival ahead of the nationwide vote, noting that his coalition is trailing in opinion polls two months before an 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 told the conservative channel known for its favourable coverage of the government. Iran tried to murder one of my sons, and therefore this security protection is not a luxury,
he said, without providing any further details about the alleged plot or how close it came to being carried out. Netanyahu also said he had told the Shin Bet security agency chief David Zini that appropriate security should be provided for any prime ministerial candidate.
The revelation lends further weight to the prime minister’s remarks that the security arrangements surrounding members of his family are not a luxury, but a genuine security necessity. Iran’s mission at the United Nations in New York did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the accusation.