By Zein Khalil
JERUSALEM (AA) - Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu recently requested enhanced security for his son in the US due to concerns over retaliation by Iran following the assassination last month of Hamas political chief Ismail Haniyeh in the capital Tehran, local media reported Tuesday.
Yair Netanyahu, 33, has been living in Miami, Florida since April 2023 under the protection of Israel's Shin Bet internal security service. The cost of his security detail is approximately 2.5 million shekels (around $680,000) per year, according to the Israeli news website Walla.
Netanyahu recently asked for security measures to be tightened for Yair out of fear that Iran's response and that of its proxies to Haniyeh’s assassination might be to target Israeli figures and assets abroad, the website noted.
Walla cited unnamed sources close to Netanyahu who said that the director general of the Prime Minister’s Office, Yossi Shelley, recently approached the Shin Bet's Advisory Committee for Personal Security to request a review of the security level around Yair.
The sources added that the advisory committee has asked for intelligence material to justify the increased security.
Haniyeh was assassinated in Tehran on July 31 in an attack attributed to Tel Aviv, although Israel has not officially claimed responsibility. Senior Iranian officials have vowed to retaliate.
*Writing by Mohammad Sio