Fact-Check: Did Iranian missile barrages kill Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu's brother Iddo?

TEL AVIV, ISRAEL: The conflict in West Asia is raging, and the casualty count continues to climb. More than 1,200 people have reportedly been killed in Iran and 13 in Israel. 

Amid this chaos, one viral claim alleges that Iddo Netanyahu, the brother of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, was killed in an Iranian air strike in Tel Aviv. The same posts also suggest that Itamar Ben-Gvir, Israel’s National Security Minister, was injured in the alleged attack.

Claim: Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu's brother killed in Iranian air strike

Several social media accounts began circulating posts claiming that an Iranian air strike had killed Iddo Netanyahu and injured Itamar Ben-Gvir.

According to these posts, Ben-Gvir was hurt after his house supposedly caught fire during the attack. Some accounts also claimed that Israeli authorities were attempting to cover up the alleged incident.

Other posts suggested that Israeli media outlets falsely reported Ben-Gvir was involved in a car accident to conceal injuries he supposedly sustained in the strike.

One widely shared post on X stated, “Benjamin Netanyahu’s brother Iddo Netanyahu has lost his life after Iranian missile strikes on Netanyahu’s family home.”

The post added, “Apparently the Iranians now have this family squarely in their crosshairs…”

One observer reacted, “If true, this would mark a dangerous new escalation. Targeting family homes pushes conflicts into an even darker territory and risks widening the cycle of retaliation. Moments like this remind us how quickly regional tensions can spiral and how devastating the human cost of war can become.”

Fact Check: Unfounded, no  proof to back the claim

There have been no reports or official confirmation indicating that Itamar Ben-Gvir’s residence in Tel Aviv was targeted in an air strike.

According to media reports, the viral video that appears to show a house on fire was actually uploaded weeks before the conflict in West Asia began.

Another website found that the footage was recorded in New Jersey, not in West Asia.

There have also been no credible reports indicating that Iddo Netanyahu has been harmed in any fire. According to one report, the video belonged to an 'Atlantic County FireFighters’ Association Photographer.'

Further verification revealed another key detail. A Google Maps image taken roughly six months before the fire shows the same house, including the triangular-shaped roof features visible in the viral video examined in this article.

About Iddo Netanyahu and Ben-Gvir

Iddo Netanyahu, who was born in 1952, is the brother of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. He is a radiologist and trained physician who earned his MD from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and later completed post-doctoral training at Georgetown University Hospital and Mount Sinai Medical Center.

Beyond medicine, he is also known for his writing. Iddo Netanyahu has authored several books, including 'Entebbe: The Jonathan Netanyahu Story' and 'Yoni’s Last Battle,' among others. He also served in Israel’s elite Sayeret Matkal special forces unit between 1970 and 1973. 

Meanwhile, Israel’s Minister of National Security, Itamar Ben-Gvir, is a lawyer and a right-wing politician. He was born in Mevaseret Zion to a Mizrahi Jewish family of Iraqi heritage.