Israeli PM Netanyahu requests additional security for son in US
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The 33-year-old has been living in Miami, Florida, since April 2023 under the protection of the Shin Bet service.
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Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks during a ceremony marking Holocaust Remembrance Day in Jerusalem on May 5, 2024. (AFP)
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu requested increased security for his son Yair Netanyahu, who is residing in the US, due to concerns over Iran's anticipated retaliation, local media reported Tuesday, following the occupation's assassination of Hamas political chief Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran last month.
The 33-year-old has been living in Miami, Florida since April 2023, under the protection of the regime's internal security service, Shin Bet, and costing around $680,000 per year, Israeli news website Walla reported.
The online news outlet cited anonymous sources close to the prime minister, stating that Yossi Shelley, director general of the prime minister's office, was recently approached by the Shin Bet's Advisory Committee for Personal Security to review Yair's security level at Netanyahu's request, as some speculated that Israeli figures and assets overseas would be targeted as part of the Iranian retaliation.
The advisory committee requested intelligence material to justify the enhancement of security, the sources added.
US to 'defend Israel' in the event of an Iranian response: White House
The United States is prepared to defend "Israel" in the event of an Iranian attack, White House national security spokesperson John Kirby said on Tuesday, referring to Iran's vowed retaliatory operation in response to martyr Ismail Haniyeh's assassination in Tehran last month.
Speaking with Israeli Channel 12, Kirby said that Washington takes Iran's rhetoric seriously, but it is difficult to estimate the chances of a retaliation taking place.
"We believe that [Iran is] still postured and poised to launch an attack should they want to do that, which is why we have that enhanced force posture in the region," he told the news outlet.
Following the Israeli assassination of Haniyeh during his official visit to Tehran, Washington neither condemned the attack nor criticized the violation of the Islamic Republic's sovereignty and security.
"Our messaging to Iran is consistent, has been, and will stay consistent. One, don't do it. There's no reason to escalate this," Kirby said without mentioning the Israeli aggression.
"There's no reason to potentially start some sort of all-out regional war. And number two, we are going to be prepared to defend Israel if it comes to that," he continued.
In recent weeks, the US military has increased its presence in the Middle East in an attempt to deter large new strikes by Iran or its allies, sending the Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier strike group to replace the Theodore Roosevelt carrier strike group.
Hezbollah carried out on Sunday its "initial response" to the Israeli assassination of its senior military commander Sayyed Fouad Shokor last month in Beirut.
