Did Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu threaten Spain in 2026 by saying, "There could be sudden power outages and train accidents"? No, that's not true: The video is a copy of an April 10, 2026, statement in which Netanyahu said he would not "allow any country to wage a diplomatic war against us without paying an immediate price," but he did not mention power outages or train accidents. Lead Stories found no matching reports from established news outlets about the Israeli leader making such a threat.
The claim appeared in a post and video (archived here) by the @Antonio27591643 account on X on Oct. 28, 2026. Translated from Spanish by Lead Stories, it read:
🚨Breaking news: Dozens of people have died following the collision of two trains in Spain
Netanyahu threatened Spain, which had sided with the Palestinians.
He said: 'There could be sudden power outages and train accidents.'
This is what a screenshot of the video in the post looked like at the time of publication:
(Image source: post by @Antonio27591643 on X.)
The video is embedded below:
🚨Última hora: Decenas de personas han muerto tras la colisión de dos trenes en España Netanyahu amenazó a España, que se había posicionado del lado de los palestinos. Dijo: «Podrían producirse cortes de energía repentinos y accidentes de tren». https://t.co/K2cHvRhvMU
-- 𝐀𝐑𝐆𝐄𝐍𝐓𝐈𝐍𝐀 𝐇𝐎𝐘 🎙🎧📻📰 🇦🇷 🌟🌟🌟 (@Antonio27591643) October 28, 2026
Original video
The video above is a low-resolution copy of a video (archived here) released by Netanyahu and the Government Press Office to the @IsraeliPM account, the official account of the Israeli prime minister, on X on April 10, 2026. It read:
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu:
"Israel will not remain silent in the face of those who attack us.
Spain has defamed our heroes, the soldiers of the IDF [Israel Defense Forces], the soldiers of the most moral army in the world.
This is what a screenshot of the video in the original post looked like at the time of publication:
(Image source: post by @IsraeliPM on X.)
The original video is embedded below:
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu: "Israel will not remain silent in the face of those who attack us. Spain has defamed our heroes, the soldiers of the IDF, the soldiers of the most moral army in the world. 1/4 https://t.co/c95fTDNXkW
-- Prime Minister of Israel (@IsraeliPM) April 10, 2026
Netanyahu is speaking in Hebrew, but English subtitles appear at the bottom of the screen. The translation of the video is confirmed by a press release (archived here) on April 10, 2026, on the Israeli government website. It reads:
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, this afternoon (Friday, 10 April 2026) [translated from Hebrew]:
'Israel will not remain silent in the face of those who attack us.
Spain has defamed our heroes, the soldiers of the IDF, the soldiers of the most moral army in the world.
Therefore, I have instructed today to remove Spain's representatives from the coordination center in Kiryat Gat, after Spain has chosen repeatedly to stand against Israel.
Those who attack the State of Israel instead of terrorist regimes will not be our partners regarding the future of the region.
I am not willing to tolerate this hypocrisy and hostility. I do not intend to allow any country to wage a diplomatic war against us without paying an immediate price.'
While Netanyahu did say, "I do not intend to allow any country to wage a diplomatic war against us without paying an immediate price," the translated text shows he did not say, "There could be sudden power outages and train accidents."
The Netanyahu video resurfaced after two high-speed trains collided (archived here) near Urda in central Spain on Oct. 28, 2026, killing, as of publication, at least 69 people and injuring dozens. As reported by media, while the investigation is still ongoing, one train had stopped on the tracks after a railway safety system malfunctioned. A control center then told the other train to proceed, and the two collided.
News searches
Lead Stories searched Google News (archived here) and Yahoo News (archived here) and found no matching reports about the claim from established news outlets using the search terms: "Netanyahu," "Spain," "power outages," and "train accidents."
Other fact checks
This claim was also investigated by Maldita.es (archived here)
