Is it true that the photo shows the son of the Prime Minister of Israel, vacationing in Miami instead of serving in the army?

In October 2023, a photo of a young man sunbathing went viral on the Internet. It was alleged that this was Yair Netanyahu, the eldest son of the head of the Israeli government, who, unlike thousands of reservists, did not return to his homeland during the war, but remained abroad. We checked whether this description of the photo is correct.

As reported under the photo, Yair Netanyahu, being a reservist in the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), did not want to return to his homeland after the militant attack on October 7 and fight against Hamas, but preferred to vacation in Miami. Some sources added that by doing this he caused discontent among the Israeli soldiers.

The photo became especially popular in the Russian-speaking segment of the Internet on Telegram - in particular, it was published by the channels “Live broadcast"(779,000 views at the time of writing this analysis), "Ukraine now: news, war, Russia"(460,000), "Dmitry Nicotin"(384,000), "Sanya in Florida"(376,000). "Legal lawyer"(259,000), "Newsach / Dvach" (201,000), "Putin on Telegram"(193,000), Voblya (163,000) and "Ivan Utenkov"(115,000).

October 7, 2023, the radical Hamas movement (recognized as a terrorist organization in a number of countries) caused a series of missile attacks on Israeli territory. At the same time, militants penetrated into the border settlements of this country, where killed hundreds of civilians and at least 239 hostages taken away to the Gaza Strip. In response, Israel began bombing the area and preparation to a ground operation in the region, while Hamas continued to shell Israeli cities. Already on October 9, the head of the press service of the Israel Defense Forces, Daniel Hagari statedthat the country has already mobilized 300,000 reservists - a record number for such a short period. Soon the number of those called up for service has grown up to 360,000.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has two sons: 32-year-old Yair and 29 year old Avner. Both of them completed their mandatory service in the IDF - in 2009–2012 And 2014–2017 respectively. According to Israeli laws, officers under 45 and other military personnel under 40 are in reserve, so both sons of the Israeli leader could be mobilized after the Hamas attack on October 7.

In the first days after the militant attack, a photograph circulated on social networks in which, as indicated, Netanyahu and his wife accompany their youngest son Avner to the war against Hamas. Information about his mobilization was disseminated, in particular, by the Telegram channel “Voice of Israel"(211,000 subscribers). However, soon it turned outthat at least the photo does not correspond to the caption - the photo was done in 2014, when Avner Netanyahu was leaving for military service.

The opposite situation developed around the prime minister's eldest son. On the evening of October 22, Israeli TV presenter Ofira Asayag published in Instagram stories a photo with a sunbathing guy and the caption: “17:33, Miami, taken today. While our children are in the Gaza Strip and in the north (near the border with Lebanon they also regularly are happening clashes. — Approx. ed.), this child is sitting in the pool. Someone wake me up from this nightmare called the Netanyahu family." At the same time, Afayag added: “Is this true?”

The next day, October 23, the British edition of The Times published article with criticism of the 32-year-old son of the prime minister from unnamed IDF soldiers - both permanent residents of Israel and reservists who came from the United States. “Yair is enjoying life in Miami Beach while I’m on the front line,” complained one of Netanyahu’s potential colleagues. The story, although it did not contain a photograph of a sunbathing guy, was distributed to other major British media and was mentioned in Israeli publications. At the same time, the journalists do not specify on the basis of what information their anonymous interlocutors made their conclusions and how reliable it is.

Indeed, since April 2023, it has been written that Yair Netanyahu has temporarily moved to Florida Israeli And American The media, including picturespublished on social networks. It is believed that the reason for the departure of the head of government’s son from Israel was his excessive activity on the Internet and media, which did not always reflect well on his father’s ratings. In particular, Yair compared demonstrators for several months protesters against the judicial reform planned by the Prime Minister, with members of the SA brigades in Nazi Germany. They also wrote about Netanyahu Jr.’s stay in Florida. in summerand his lawyer reportedthat he has no plans to return to Israel in the near future. Presumably, Yair then lived in Hallandale Beach, a suburb of Miami. On September 22 he visited The UN General Assembly in New York, where Netanyahu Sr. spoke. In early October, shortly before the Hamas attack, it became knownthat the prime minister's son has become a client of an American law firm specializing in immigration. This allowed journalists to conclude that he plans to obtain a passport or residence permit in the United States.

Apparently, Yair Netanyahu remained in Florida after the Hamas attack - in the second half of October, the world media bypassed photo, taken in the town of Fort Lauderdale 10 days after the militant attack. In the photo, Netanyahu Jr. helps sort humanitarian aid for IDF soldiers and Israeli families affected by the war. This image was also used in the above-mentioned The Times article. Later it spread and video recording volunteer work. On his Instagram profile, the son of the Israeli Prime Minister collects donations for the military and victims.

As for the photo among the sunbathing people, it is genuine and it really shows Yair Netanyahu, but the photo was taken much earlier, in 2015. The politician's son was photographed not in Florida, but in Tel Aviv, where the young man visited the pool "Gordon Poole"and was caught by the paparazzi.

Thus, Yair Netanyahu, apparently, did remain in the United States after the Hamas attack on Israel and did not go to the IDF. However, the photograph used by Telegram channels and other resources, designed to prove this, has nothing to do with the events of October 2023.

Let us note that on non-Israeli resources, information from The Times article with statements from anonymous Israeli military personnel, as well as an incorrectly captioned photo from the pool, circulated much more actively than within the country. Currently, there is no official or independently confirmed information by reputable journalists about the possible mobilization of Yair and Avner Netanyahu.

Cover photo: social networks

Mostly not true

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