In a recent phone interview with Noam Amir, the military correspondent for Israel's Channel 14, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu let slip the news of what he described as an Iranian assassination plot, which Netanyahu said was aimed at one of his sons. The plot was not successful.
Details are as yet scarce, but here's what's being reported so far.
Iran tried to assassinate the son of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, the PM said during a phone call with Channel 14's military correspondent Noam Amir, broadcast on Monday.
"This is an unbelievable case. Iran targeted one of my sons. Iran tried to murder him, tried to murder one of my sons," the PM stated.
"Is this part of the intelligence provided to you?" Amir asked.
"Iran tried to murder one of my sons. And this is why this promise [I am making] is more than a luxury - without it, they could succeed [in killing my son.] People need to show some restraint, especially during an election campaign," Netanyahu replied.
In another account of the same interview, Netanyahu defended increasing security for his family and for other Israeli elected officials.
“Iran targeted one of my sons. Iran tried to kill, to murder one of my sons,” Netanyahu says, without providing further details.
“Therefore, the security they get is not a luxury,” he adds, seemingly defending an agreement reached with the Shin Bet to provide his sons, alongside his wife, Sara, with security protection for at least five years, even if he loses the upcoming election. Without that security, “they would succeed,” he says, referring to the would-be assassins.
Netanyahu did not say which of his sons were targeted in the attempt. He has two sons: Avner, who lives in Israel, and Yair, who reportedly spends much of his time in Miami. The assassination plot was apparently known about by Israeli intelligence for some time, and the Prime Minister was not forthcoming on how the plot was thwarted or if anyone has been taken into custody or rendered to ambient temperature. So far, there just isn't a lot of information.
Earlier on Monday, we reported on Iran's placing a bounty of $10 million (which they probably don't have) for the death or capture of President Trump's son Barron. Iran seems suddenly more than willing, if these reports are accurate, to start targeting the families of those they (rightly) see as adversaries. If Iran is seriously considering such an attempt on the families of either PM Netanyahu or President Trump, that would (he wrote, belaboring the obvious) represent a significant escalation that would not end in Iran's favor. And never mind just an attempt; consider what would happen in the case of any national leader if such a plot succeeded. Iran thinks it has problems now, but just wait until the family member of either man is actually killed and the death traced back to Iran; every member of the regime would be targeted, right down to the third assistant rat-catcher in Qom. We would see, once again, the brilliant application of "there is no problem that cannot be solved with the suitable application of high explosives."
This is a developing story. As soon as we know more, so will you.
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