Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu claimed Iran tried to murder one of his sons, calling it an ‘unbelievable case,’ according to reports from multiple sources. ‘Iran targeted one of my sons. Iran tried to murder him, tried to murder one of my sons,’ Netanyahu said, according to Al Jazeera and Fox News. He was responding to reports that one of Israel’s security agencies had declined to provide a security detail for Gadi Eisenkot, the former army chief running against Netanyahu for prime minister.

Security Measures and Election Campaign

Netanyahu voiced support for around-the-clock protection for Eisenkot, saying it was ‘not a luxury.’ ‘Without that, [the Iranians] will succeed,’ he said, according to Fox News. The Israeli security agency Shin Bet granted extended protection to Netanyahu’s wife, Sara, and their sons, Yair and Avner, beginning in July. Both sons and Netanyahu’s wife received extended personal protection in July, according to The Jerusalem Post.

Netanyahu did not clarify which of his two sons was the target of the plot. His elder son, Yair, 35, has spent extended periods in the US city of Miami since early 2024, drawing controversy in Israel over the cost to taxpayers of protecting him. The accusation comes as Israel remains in negotiations for a withdrawal of Israeli forces from Lebanon, where they had been fighting the Iran-backed Hezbollah terrorist group.

Iran’s Response and Political Shifts

Iran has promised revenge for the killings of Khamenei and his family. Khamenei’s son, Mojtaba, was named the new supreme leader a week after Ali Khamenei’s death. Mojtaba Khamenei has not been seen in public since his appointment, but in a message published on the occasion of funeral ceremonies for his father, he pledged to ‘avenge the blood’ of the former supreme leader, according to Al Jazeera.

Netanyahu did not describe details of the assassination plot nor did he say how Israeli intelligence became aware of it. The news comes after Israel publicized a massive store of rockets, grenades, drones, sniper rifles, automated weapons, anti-tank rocket launchers, mortars, and other military firepower it has confiscated from Hezbollah and Hamas in recent months. The seized weapons, ranging in manufacturers from the Islamic Republic of Iran to Russia and China to homegrown producers in Lebanon and Gaza, and even a Nazi-era gun, were part of the war machinery used by Hamas and Hezbollah against Israeli civilians and the IDF since Hamas terrorists attacked southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, according to Fox News.

Broader Regional Tensions

The joint US-Israeli actions in the region continue to draw international attention. According to the World Socialist Web Site, the US-Israeli actions against Iran are described as a ‘criminal act of war’ in violation of the United States Constitution and international law. The WSWS also highlighted the need for an international socialist anti-war movement. Meanwhile, Israeli military actions and security concerns continue to influence domestic and international politics ahead of upcoming elections.