Journalist Got Death Threats After Enraged Gamblers Demanded He Change a Report on Iranian Strikes on Israel

(AP Photo/Ohad Zwigenberg)

Israeli journalist Emanuel Fabian said deranged gamblers threatened his life — as well as members of his family — if he did not change a story about an Iranian missile strike that hit an Israeli town.

Fabian shared the harrowing ordeal in a story in The Times of Israel on Monday.

He said his problems started after reporting an Iranian ballistic missile hit the city of Beit Shemesh on March 10; Fabian said it seemed like a “minor incident” at the time, considering the missile hit an open area and no one was hurt.

But he was soon inundated with emails telling him to change his story. Someone named Aviv emailed him in Hebrew and insisted “not a full missile” had hit the city, but merely “an interceptor fragment.”

“I’d appreciate it if you could update your article, as in its current form it does not reflect reality,” Aviv added. “Alternatively, if you have information that it was indeed a full missile that was not intercepted, I would be glad to be corrected.”

Fabian responded by telling him that the military information he received showed his report was correct. Things quickly escalated from there, with Fabian receiving more angry messages — including one from a man named Haim who said Fabian’s report cost him and others nearly $1 million.

“You have no idea how much you’ve put yourself at risk. Today is the most significant day of your career,” Haim told him over WhatsApp. “You have two choices: either believe that we have the capabilities, and after you make us lose $900,000 we will invest no less than that to finish you. Or end this with money in your pocket, and also earn back the life you had until now.”

By this point, Fabian had figured out the barrage of messages was tied to a bet on Polymarket, one of the top prediction markets. There had been $14.1 million wagered on whether Iran strikes Israel on March 10, and Fabian’s report would play a key role in how the bet was paid out.

The Polymarket wager had a clause that said intercepted missiles will “not be sufficient” enough to determine a strike had taken place — making it clear why he was getting pestered by bettors to change his report.

Fabian said Haim continued to hound him to change his story, and shared “specific details” about his parents, his family, and his neighborhood to try to get him to comply.

“If you decide to go with your ego and not with your head, you are leaving behind dozens of wealthy people from all over the world who will know that you performed market manipulation and stole from them,” Haim said. “They know who you are, you don’t know who they are. It took them less than 5 minutes to find out exactly where you live … how often you see your lovely parents … and exactly who your … brothers and sisters are.”

He added, “Believe me, you don’t want to be their target. Because you will never, ever earn enough money to pay back even half of those you stole from.”

Fabian said he ultimately went to the police, and they are now investigating the threats.

“The attempt by these gamblers to pressure me to change my reporting so that they would win their bet did not and will not succeed,” Fabian added. “But I do worry that other journalists may not be as ethical if they are promised some of the winnings.”

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