The 35-year-old son of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Yair Netanyahu, was reportedly the target of an Iranian assassination plot while he was in Florida, according to U.S. media outlet Newsmax, which cited a source in U.S. law enforcement.

The revelation adds a new dimension to a statement Netanyahu himself made earlier this week, saying, among other things, that Tehran had attempted to assassinate one of his children.

The Israeli prime minister revealed the existence of the plot on Monday during an interview with Israel’s Channel 14, although he did not specify which of his two sons, Yair or Avner, had been targeted. “There is something here that is unbelievable,” Netanyahu said. “Iran targeted one of my sons. Iran tried to assassinate him, tried to assassinate one of my sons.”

However, a U.S. law-enforcement source familiar with the case told Newsmax that the target was Yair Netanyahu, “Bibi’s” 35-year-old elder son, who was living in Hallandale Beach, near Miami.

According to the same source, Israeli intelligence services were informed last December that there was an Iranian plot to assassinate Yair in Florida and passed the information to U.S. authorities. The source said there was an assessment that Iranian operatives were already “on the ground” in the Miami area and had conducted surveillance of Yair’s residence and movements.

The 35-year-old, who is continuously accompanied by an Israeli security team, was ordered to leave the area where he was staying immediately. In fact, according to the report, he left without even taking his personal belongings and returned immediately to Israel, where he has remained ever since.

Israel’s Channel 12 reported that the existence of the assassination plot had been known to some media outlets for months, but its publication had previously been prohibited by military censorship. Netanyahu has two sons, Yair and Avner. Avner lives in Israel, while Yair has spent extended periods in the Miami area and has emerged as a strongly conservative political voice and one of his father’s most active defenders.

The Israeli prime minister referred to the assassination attempt while defending the extensive state protection provided to his family. “That is why this security is not a luxury,” Netanyahu said, warning that without adequate protection, those targeting his family “could succeed.”

In July, Israel extended Shin Bet protection for Netanyahu’s wife, Sara, as well as his sons, Yair and Avner. The two sons are expected to continue receiving protection for another five years even if Netanyahu leaves office as prime minister.

The History of Iranian Assassination Plots

The alleged Florida plot fits, according to Newsmax, into a broader pattern of Iranian threats and assassination plots targeting Israeli and U.S. officials and members of their families.

The U.S. Department of Justice has said that the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps has pursued operations abroad aimed at retaliation for the January 2020 killing by the United States of Quds Force commander Qassem Soleimani.

In 2024, federal prosecutors charged Farhad Shakeri, who was alleged to be acting on behalf of Iran, claiming that the Revolutionary Guard had tasked him with developing a plan to assassinate Donald Trump.

Iranian threats following Soleimani’s death were not limited to Trump. U.S. authorities have uncovered plots allegedly targeting senior officials from his first administration.

One of the most serious cases involved former National Security Adviser John Bolton. In 2022, federal prosecutors charged Revolutionary Guard member Shahram Poursafi with attempting to arrange Bolton’s assassination. He allegedly offered $300,000 to a hitman to kill him in Washington or Maryland.

According to the Department of Justice, Poursafi had obtained Bolton’s work address and collected online images of the streets surrounding his Washington office. U.S. authorities assessed that the plot was likely retaliation for Soleimani’s killing.

Former U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo had also been identified as a potential Iranian target.

Threats Against the Trump Family

The Iranian threat has reportedly now extended to the American president’s family as well.

This week, Iranian state television broadcast a video targeting 20-year-old Barron Trump. The program, aired by Iran’s Channel 3 and reproduced by media outlets affiliated with the Revolutionary Guard, was titled “Where and How Should We Kill Barron Trump?”

The program claimed that the U.S. president’s son’s movements had been monitored and presented information allegedly concerning his university, vehicles and Secret Service protection. It also claimed that a $10 million bounty had been placed on him.

The Secret Service confirmed Tuesday that it was aware of the video and said it investigates threats against the people it protects, without commenting on security measures.

Iranian media had previously published threatening material concerning First Lady Melania Trump as well. Last month, posters bearing the slogan “Blood for blood” were displayed in Tehran’s Palestine Square, featuring Donald Trump, Melania, Donald Trump Jr., Ivanka, Eric, Tiffany and Barron Trump.