In lengthy statement, PM says attacks on wife and son are an attack on him

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu posts a lengthy statement to X in which he defends his wife Sara and son Yair from what he says are relentless media attacks.

“Sara is a woman of valor… She is a true heroine,” Netanyahu writes, saying US President Donald Trump has dubbed her “my secret weapon.”

Netanyahu also defends his son, Yair, saying he “acts vigorously, with great talent and dedication, in the global advocacy for the State of Israel,” while facing persistent attacks simply for being part of the Netanyahu family.

The younger Netanyahu has spent much of the past two years living in Miami, Florida, and is best known for his firebrand social media presence and association with far-right European and American politicians and figures. In recent months, he has denounced the current IDF chief of staff, called Qatar’s leader a modern-day Hitler, blamed the Israeli left for major forest fires, and castigated the president of France. He has also repeatedly accused various security officials of attempting to overthrow his father.

Netanyahu condemns journalists who “join the poisonous chorus” of criticism, adding: “Enough with the slander, defamation, and lies against my family.”

He particularly singles out right-wing commentators Amit Segal and Yinon Magal. The two recently criticized Sara and Yair for allegedly involving themselves in the identity of the next military advocate general and criticizing Defense Minister Israel Katz’s choice of Itai Ofir.

“I want to make it clear: harming my family, who give me the strength and support to continue leading, harms me,” Netanyahu says.