The Iranian official Abdollah Ganji accused Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu of resorting to spells and supernatural tricks and jinn in the 12-days war between Israel and Iran in June 2025. According to Iran International, Ganji, the former editor of the Javan newspaper that’s considered close to IRGC, made the claim on July 9, 2025, through X.
On June 13, 2025, the surprise airstrikes organized by Israel against Iran, including its nuclear production, military infrastructure, and IRGC leaders in Natanz, Tehran, and other cities, commenced the war. Israeli attacks resulted in the death of main commanders, one of them Hossein Salami, and many nuclear scientists. Iran retaliated by firing missiles and using drones, and a ceasefire was negotiated June 24, 2025 by former U.S. President Donald Trump.
Ganji stated that after the war, papers containing Jewish symbols and talismans found on Tehran’s streets. He claimed this indicated Israel’s use of occult practices. He linked the phenomenon to a broader narrative, citing Ayatollah Khamenei’s past statements in 2020 about enemies using jinn and humans against Iran.
Social media posts connected these talismans to geometric symbols, such as the Star of David, found etched near Iranian missile bases. Some clerics also claimed that Israel used jinn to track military targets. In October 2024, a similar allegation linked Israeli use of jinn to the location of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah.
The allegations emerged alongside unverified reports that Netanyahu consulted occult specialists during the 2024 Gaza war, fueling further speculation about Israel’s psychological operations.
