Photo of former PM’s Naftali Bennett’s son appears among images of Iranian protesters killed during crackdown

The photograph appears to have been cropped from an image uploaded to Naftali Bennett’s Instagram account in December showing him hiking with his son in southern Israel.

By Vered Weiss, World Israel News

A photo of teenage Israeli, the son of former prime minister Naftali Bennett, was circulated by Iranian opposition channels as the face of a protester allegedly killed in Tehran, a mistake that pro-regime media quickly seized upon to challenge dissidents’ casualty claims.

In one Telegram post tied to opposition networks, the picture appeared with a caption identifying him as “Kourosh Shirini” and claiming he had been shot on Pirouzi Street before his 17th birthday.

In a separate instance, his face appeared in a montage of people said to have been killed by security forces during the crackdown.

The photograph appears to have been cropped from an image uploaded to Naftali Bennett’s Instagram account in December showing him hiking with his son in southern Israel.

Pro-regime outlets highlighted the error. The Fars News Agency published a report titled “Exposing the big lie of the [Iranian dissident] MKO organization regarding the killing on Pirouzi Street,” writing: “MKO-affiliated media outlets published a photo of a child named Kourosh Shirini, claiming he was killed by gunfire on Pirouzi Street in Tehran during the riots. It has now been revealed that the published photo is actually of the son of former prime minister Naftali Bennett, and that it was published with the aim of deceiving and inciting the public.”

There was no immediate response from Bennett.

The episode unfolded amid difficulty verifying deaths and identities following an internet blackout imposed after protests erupted nationwide on December 28 over rising living costs and evolved into broader anti-government demonstrations, peaking on January 8 and 9 before being forcefully suppressed.

Iran’s National Security Council said last week that 3,117 people were killed. The opposition-affiliated Iran International has put the figure at more than 36,000.

Iran has acknowledged detaining minors. According to The New York Times, Farshad Ebrahimpour, deputy chairman of Iran’s parliamentary education commission, said a “number” of students under 18 were arrested, while rights groups estimate at least 300 children and adolescents remain in custody.