Netanyahu Did Not Flee to Poland Amid Iran's Attack

Misbar investigated the shared claim and found it to be fake.

Netanyahu’s Travel Claims Disproved During Iranian Missile Attack

Misbar’s team searched the viral claim and did not find any credible news media reporting on it. On the contrary, the latest travel by Netanyahu that could be found on news outlets was before the assassination of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah on September 27. The Israeli prime minister traveled to New York to trick Nasrallah into thinking that he was safe, as reported by The Telegraph. Furthermore, Netanyahu published a video on his X account on Wednesday at 12:52 a.m. Israel time, only a few hours after the Iranian missile attack. In the video, the Israeli prime minister was at the Security Cabinet giving a speech on the attack, thanking the U.S. and warning Iran that it made a big mistake, which further confirms that he did not leave Israel for Poland.

Following a thorough reverse image search, Misbar’s team found that the image used by users supporting their claim about Netanyahu’s travel dates back to April 2024, several months before Iran's attack. A user on X, named Itai Nathaniel, published the image on April 13 amid the chaos created for the anticipated Rafah invasion.

Netanyahu Vows Strong Response After Iranian Attack

After a few hours of Iran’s retaliatory attack on Israel, a meeting of the Security Cabinet was held. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stressed that Israel has a strong “determination to defend” itself and to “retaliate against enemies.” He stated that Israel would stand by the rule it established: whoever attacks Israel will be attacked back.

The cabinet meeting concluded after several hours with the decision that there would be an Israeli military response; however, no clear decision was made regarding what that response would be.

What Is the Anticipated Israeli Retaliation?

The decision on retaliation was not made at the cabinet meeting because Israeli officials wanted to consult with the Biden administration, according to Axios. Israel aims to coordinate its plans with the U.S. due to the strategic implications of the situation. Currently, the U.S. and Israel are discussing their response to the Iranian attack, and the decision has still not been made, according to Israeli officials.

According to a BBC analysis of how Israel might retaliate, it is expected that Israel could target Iranian conventional military assets, state assets, or Iran’s military nuclear program and major nuclear facilities. The attack is anticipated to be aided by U.S. satellite intelligence and Mossad (Israel’s overseas spy agency) human agents on the ground in Iran.

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