NEED TO KNOW

• Security expert calls Yair Netanyahu a “highly vulnerable target” for kidnapping while living in Miami during active war with Iran
• Israel has mobilized 100,000 additional reservists for Operation Roaring Lion while the 34-year-old remains in Florida doing charity work
• Shin Bet protection for the prime minister’s son costs Israeli taxpayers an estimated 2.5 million shekels annually — roughly $680,000

MIAMI, FL (TDR) — As Israel mobilizes 100,000 additional reservists for its joint campaign with the United States against Iran, a national security expert is warning that Yair Netanyahu — Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu‘s 34-year-old son — faces serious kidnapping and attack risks while living in Miami, far from the front lines his countrymen are fighting on.

Howard Stoffer, a professor of national security and international affairs at the University of New Haven who spent 25 years in the U.S. Foreign Service, told the Daily Express US that Yair’s presence in America during wartime is both a security liability and a symbolic failure.

“I don’t see how it would be possible for him to be in the U.S. and not be a highly vulnerable target for an attack or kidnapping. It would be quite dramatic if the son of the Prime Minister of Israel was to be taken.” — Howard Stoffer

Yair Netanyahu Miami Security Costs Taxpayers Millions

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The younger Netanyahu has lived in the Miami area since April 2023, residing in luxury apartments in Hallandale Beach under protection from the Shin Bet’s elite Unit 730. That unit is typically reserved for Israel’s seven highest-ranking officials — the president, prime minister, defense minister, foreign minister, Knesset speaker, opposition leader and Supreme Court president.

According to Israeli media reports, the security arrangement includes two Shin Bet bodyguards, a dedicated driver, a vehicle leased through the Israeli consulate and a daily allowance — costing approximately 207,000 shekels per month. Freedom of information disclosures revealed that from 2018 to 2023, Yair’s security alone cost NIS 10.2 million — roughly $2.8 million.

Former Shin Bet officials have publicly questioned the arrangement. The agency itself recommended in 2024 that Yair’s protection be downgraded from its elite Personal Security Unit to the lower-ranking Magen unit, noting that several government ministers face higher threat levels without receiving equivalent coverage.

“Yair Netanyahu is not supposed to be secured by the agency. I think that’s the most essential thing.” — Shlomo Harnoy, former Shin Bet Personal Security Division chief

Reservists Question Leadership While Mobilization Expands

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The timing has sharpened longstanding grievances. The IDF announced Sunday it was calling up approximately 100,000 reservists — in addition to 50,000 already on duty — as part of Operation Roaring Lion, the joint U.S.-Israeli campaign that began Feb. 28 and resulted in the killing of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.

Under Israeli law, all citizens who served in the IDF remain eligible for reserve duty until age 40. Yair, who served in the IDF Spokesperson’s Unit, is 34. Israeli soldiers have not been quiet about the perceived double standard.

“Yair is enjoying his life at Miami Beach whilst I’m on the front lines. It’s us who are leaving our work, our families, our kids, to protect our families back home and the country.” — Israeli soldier on the northern front, via The Times of London

Stoffer argued the symbolism compounds the security risk, calling Yair’s continued U.S. residence a strategic mistake on multiple levels.

“I think it’s a huge mistake from the perspective of Israel and from the perspective of the symbolism that he is not serving and doing his duty in the military.” — Howard Stoffer

Security Versus Symbolism: A Recurring Tension

Defenders of the arrangement point to legitimate Iranian threats against Israeli figures abroad, particularly following Israel’s targeted killings of senior Hamas and Hezbollah leaders. In August 2024, the director-general of Netanyahu’s office formally requested enhanced protection for Yair, citing potential Iranian retaliation. The Advisory Committee for Personal Security asked for intelligence material to justify the increase but found no evidence of substantial threat at that time.

The Prime Minister’s Office denied that any such request had been submitted.

Knesset member Naama Lazimi went further in February 2025, accusing the government of funding what she described as Yair’s forced exile after an alleged physical altercation with his father — a claim Netanyahu’s Likud party called “a despicable lie.”

Meanwhile, Ynet reported that both Sara and Yair Netanyahu were routinely guarded by Shin Bet’s VIP protection unit at annual costs running into the millions. In January 2026, Yair was elected to the Likud Central Committee while still residing in Miami — a political maneuver that drew additional scrutiny about his long-term intentions.

Stoffer, whose career included postings in Tel Aviv, Moscow and the U.N. Counter-Terrorism Executive Directorate, said the situation presents a no-win calculation.

“He will be a target. I would absolutely expect that, and if he is not protected by Shin Bet or officers, taking away resources from the country that needs him now.” — Howard Stoffer

As Israel wages its largest military operation since 2023 with 150,000 reservists now on duty, does the security rationale for protecting a prime minister’s adult son abroad outweigh the leadership credibility cost — or does the arrangement reveal a deeper tension between privilege and shared national sacrifice?

Sources

This report was compiled using information from The Times of Israel and its reporting on security costs, The Jerusalem Post, Haaretz, expert commentary from the University of New Haven, reporting by Miami New Times, Anadolu Agency, Ynet, Al Jazeera’s casualty tracker, and IDF reserve duty regulations.

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