Did Netanyahu flee Israel for Crete Island?

Published January 14th, 2026 - 10:52 GMT
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks during a visit to the Ben Gurion International Airport in Lod, on August 17, 2020. (Photo by Emil Salman / POOL / AFP)

ALBAWABA - Speculations emerged online questioning the current location of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Posts emerged on social media allegedly saying that flight tracking data showed Israel's Wing of Zion, Boeing 767, registration 4X-ISR, the aircraft of Netanyahu, had left Israel for an unknown destination.

According to some activists, the aircraft departed from Nevatim Air Base or Ben Gurion Airport to Heraklion International Airport on the island of Crete, in Greece. 

A person posted on X, "Benjamin Netanyahu’s presidential plane 'Wing of Zion' took off from Tel Aviv at 11.22 a.m. this morning (local time). It landed in Athens, Greece, at 1.06 p.m. Is Greece sheltering the war crimes fugitive who just launched an attack on Iran?"

On the other hand, Israeli officials described the flight as a routine training exercise or part of annual maintenance. The aircraft serves as the principal transport for the prime minister and the president during strategic operations.

This comes amid expected tension between Iran and Israel following the latest anti-regime protests in Tehran, which the Iranian government accused Israel and the U.S. of fueling.

Meanwhile, U.S. President Donald Trump warned that Washington will strike Iran if the government kills protesters. In return, Tehran said it will attack Israel and American military bases in the Middle East if it is attacked.