An Israeli journalist was hit with death threats and harassment from gamblers who lost millions on a Polymarket prediction market bet. The gamblers wanted him to change his reporting on an Iranian missile strike in Israel. The journalist, Emanuel Fabian, shared what happened to him publicly.
Fabian’s trouble started after he reported that an Iranian ballistic missile hit the city of Beit Shemesh on March 10. The missile landed in an open area and no one was hurt, so it seemed like a minor, straightforward news story at the time.
But Fabian was soon flooded with emails demanding he change his story. One person, named Aviv, wrote to him in Hebrew, insisting it was not a “full missile” that hit the city, but an “interceptor fragment.” Fabian stood by his reporting, saying the military information he received confirmed his original story was accurate.
Gamblers with millions on the line went after the journalist who cost them the bet
Things got worse quickly. A man named Haim messaged Fabian claiming the report had cost him and others nearly $1 million. That is because $14.1 million had been wagered on Polymarket on whether Iran would strike Israel on March 10.
The bet included a clause stating that intercepted missiles would “not be sufficient” to count as a strike. This is why gamblers were desperate for Fabian to change his wording from a “full missile” hit to an “interceptor fragment”, it would change the outcome of the bet.
Haim’s messages escalated fast over WhatsApp. He told Fabian, “You have no idea how much you’ve put yourself at risk. Today is the most significant day of your career.” He then gave Fabian two options: “either believe that we have the capabilities, and after you make us lose $900,000 we will invest no less than that to finish you. Or end this with money in your pocket, and also earn back the life you had until now.”
Haim then shared specific details about Fabian’s parents, family, and neighborhood to pressure him further.
He warned, “If you decide to go with your ego and not with your head, you are leaving behind dozens of wealthy people from all over the world who will know that you performed market manipulation and stole from them.”
Haim added, “They know who you are, you don’t know who they are. It took them less than 5 minutes to find out exactly where you live … how often you see your lovely parents … and exactly who your f—ing brothers and sisters are.” He ended with, “Believe me, you don’t want to be their target. Because you will never, ever earn enough money to pay back even half of those you stole from.”
Fabian went to the police, who are now investigating the threats. He stated, “The attempt by these gamblers to pressure me to change my reporting so that they would win their bet did not and will not succeed.”
He also raised a concern that other journalists might not stay ethical if they were offered a share of the winnings. Public figures facing pressure to back down is a pattern seen elsewhere too, as Kristi Noem’s controversial moves testing Trump’s patience recently showed.
Published: Mar 17, 2026 10:58 am