Ex-air force pilot detained for questioning after implying Netanyahu deserves to die

An anti-government protester was detained for questioning Sunday over comments in which he appeared to justify the potential assassination of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Zeev Raz, a former combat pilot who led the air force squadron in the celebrated 1981 mission to bomb an Iraqi nuclear reactor, is suspected of incitement and making threats, the Israel Police said. The case is being handled by the Lahav 433 national crime squad, the statement said.

Netanyahu blamed opposition parties for the incident, saying they were supporting “irresponsible incitement” against him that, he warned, was threatening democracy.