JERUSALEM (VINnews) – An Israeli military correspondent said Monday he faced harassment and death threats after his reporting on an Iranian missile impact helped determine the outcome of a massive wager on the prediction market Polymarket, where more than $22 million was at stake.

Emanuel Fabian, military correspondent for The Times of Israel, reported March 10 that an Iranian missile warhead struck an open area near Beit Shemesh, causing no injuries or damage. He emphasized it was not an interception.

The report drew intense scrutiny from bettors on Polymarket, which had a market on whether Iran would carry out a drone, missile or air strike on Israeli soil that day. Bettors who wagered against a strike contacted Fabian, initially asking and later demanding he alter his article to claim the debris resulted from an interception rather than a direct impact.

Fabian detailed the escalation in a Times of Israel article, describing messages that included bribes, repeated harassment and explicit death threats targeting him and his family. One message warned he would “discover enemies who will be willing to pay anything to make your life miserable,” while another threatened to invest substantial sums to harm him after potential losses.

The volume of bets on the market grew significantly after Fabian’s initial coverage and subsequent public statements, climbing from around $14 million to more than $22 million by resolution time.

Polymarket condemned the threats, banned involved accounts and said it would share information with authorities. The platform’s rules rely on media consensus and official confirmations to settle such markets, inadvertently positioning journalists like Fabian as key arbiters.

Fabian reported the incidents to Israeli police and stood by his original reporting, stating he knew it was accurate and would not change it under pressure.

The episode has sparked broader discussion about the potential for prediction markets to incentivize interference in journalism and real-world events amid high financial stakes.