Israel's Netanyahu says Iran tried to kill one of his sons

TEL AVIV, Israel \u2014 Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Monday that Iran had tried to \u200bkill one of his sons, but gave no details about when the alleged plot took place, which son was targeted or how close it \u200ccame to being carried out.Netanyahu's allegation underscores the heightened tensions since the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran began in \u2060February, during which Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali \u200bKhamenei and other senior Iranian leaders \u2060were killed.Netanyahu, whose coalition is trailing in opinion polls two months before an Oct. \u200c27 general election, made \u200cthe claim in a telephone interview with Israel's Channel 14. He \u2060was responding to reports that one of Israel's \u2060security agencies had refused to provide protection for a political rival ahead of the nationwide vote."As for my sons. Here, I think there is something quite unbelievable, yes. Iran targeted one of my sons. Iran tried to kill, to murder one of my sons," Netanyahu told the conservative channel known for its \u200cfavorable coverage of the government."Iran tried to murder one \u200bof my sons, and therefore this security protection is not a luxury," he said, without providing any further details about the alleged plot or how close it came to being carried out.It was not immediately clear which of his sons he was referring to. Netanyahu's elder son, Yair, lives in Miami.Iran's mission at the United Nations in New York did not immediately respond to a \u200brequest for comment on the accusation.Netanyahu also said he had told the Shin Bet security agency \u200cchief David Zini \u200cthat appropriate \u2060security should be provided for any prime ministerial candidate.Israeli media had reported earlier that Zini declined to provide security for Gadi Eisenkot and told the country's election authority there was no plot to harm him.Eisenkot's party is projected to win the largest number \u200cof seats in the \u200belection, although Israeli governments are usually formed through \u200ccoalitions among multiple parties rather \u2060than by \u200ba single party winning a parliamentary majority outright.