Gamblers pressure reporter to change coverage of Iran strike over $14 million bet on war
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An Israeli journalist revealed on Monday that he received death threats from gamblers over a report of an Iranian missile that hit an area outside Jerusalem, with many messages demanding he change his reporting because of Polymarket’s $14 million bet on Iran war.
Military journalist Emanuel Fabian reported in the Times of Israel newspaper “that the missile hit an open area and no injuries were caused, citing rescuers, and images that emerged showing a large explosion caused by the missile’s warhead.”
Fabian explained that he had received numerous requests to change his report to indicate that the missile was an “interceptor fragment,” not a full Iranian missile.
He started a similar comment in his post on X about the missile strike.
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Missiles launched from Iran in retaliation for Israel’s attacks are seen in the night sky over the city of Hebron in the West Bank on March 12, 2026. (Wisam Hashlamoun/Anadolu via Getty Images)
“Checking those X accounts, both seem to be involved in gambling on the Polymarket betting site,” wrote Fabian. “According to me now, the emails I received were intended to confirm that the missile hit Israel on March 10 to solve the prediction about Polymarket.”
According to Fabian, the event the gamblers were betting on was “Iran beats Israel in…?”. A Times of Israel reporter wrote, “More than 14 million dollars were bet on March 10.”
Fabian said another journalist reached out to him and told him that someone he knows is asking Fabian to change his report.
“This journalist did not know why his acquaintance wanted to change the story until I told him what I understood was going on. He then confronted his acquaintance, who admitted that he bet at Polymarket and confirmed my theory,” wrote Fabian. “Going further, someone you know even offered the reporter compensation, from his winnings, if he managed to convince me to change my report.”
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Missiles fired from Iran towards Israel cross the sky over the West Bank city of Hebron as some are intercepted by Israeli air defense systems March 7, 2026. (Wisam Hashlamoun/Anadolu via Getty Images)
The bet will settle “Yes” if Iran launches a “drone, missile, or air strike on Israeli soil” on the specified day, according to the Polymarket page. Fabian noted that the rules include a clause that says “Missiles or intercepted drones” will not be voted “Yes.”
“My little report about the missile that hit the open field was now in the middle of a betting war, with those who bet ‘No’ on an Iranian strike on Israel on March 10 wanting me to change my subject to make sure they win big,” Fabian wrote.
Fabian explained that he started receiving threatening messages and calls on WhatsApp.
“You have 90 minutes to revise the lie,” the message read, according to Fabian. “If you do this – you solve in a minute the biggest problem you have caused yourself in life. And you won’t miss me in a week.”
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In this photo illustration, the application of Polymarket, an online speculation market site, is shown in February. 25, 2026, Chicago, Illinois. (Scott Olson/Getty Images)
Another message that followed read, “If you decide not to fix it, and leave a solid lie, you will find enemies who will pay anything to make your life miserable – within the framework of the law.”
“And as far as I know, there are other people who don’t care about the law, and you will make them lose almost 50 times more than you will,” read another message on WhatsApp, according to Fabian.
A reporter for The Times of Israel said another message was sent to him saying he would “pay the full price” for not changing his reporting.
“Polymarket condemns the harassment and threats against Emanuel Fabian, or anyone else for this matter,” a Polymarket spokesperson told Fox News Digital in a statement. “This behavior violates our terms of service and has no place on our platform or anywhere else.”
“Forecast markets depend on the reliability of independent reporting,” the statement continued. “Efforts to pressure journalists to change their reporting undermine that integrity and undermine the markets themselves.”
Polymarket also issued a similar statement on X on Monday, adding: “We have blocked the accounts of all those involved and will forward their information to the relevant authorities.”
The Times of Israel did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
Fox Business reported earlier this month that blockchain investigators used insider information to profit from betting on the Iran war.
As millions of dollars flood into controversial prediction markets related to US strikes on Iran and the death of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, blockchain investigators say a handful of suspected insiders may have used non-public information to turn the fog of war into a personal storm.
Just before the US-led strikes that rocked Iran early Saturday, Reuters and other outlets reported a surge in “suspiciously timed bets” that generated huge profits. Blockchain analytics firm Bubblemaps has identified six suspects inside the post on X, saying they collectively received $1.2 million from Polymarket in the hours before the dispute began.
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Former Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei arrives to vote during the 2024 presidential election. (Sobhan Farajvan/Pacific Press/LightRocket)
Khamenei’s total trade volume reached more than $55 million in Kalshi and more than $58 million in Polymarket.
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Fox News’ Kristen Altus contributed to this report.
