Iranian official Abdollah Ganji accused Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of using spells and supernatural tactics, including jinn, during the 12-day war with Iran in June 2025. Ganji, former editor of IRGC-affiliated Javan newspaper, made the claim on July 9, 2025, via X, as reported by Iran International.
The war began on June 13, 2025, when Israel launched surprise airstrikes targeting Iran’s nuclear facilities, military sites, and IRGC leaders in Natanz, Tehran, and other cities. Israeli strikes killed key commanders, including Hossein Salami, and several nuclear scientists. Iran responded with missiles and drones until a ceasefire was brokered on 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.
