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Far-right media personality Tucker Carlson promoted an antisemitic conspiracy theory on Wednesday, falsely portraying the war with Iran as part of a Jewish plot to destroy Islamic holy sites in Jerusalem and rebuild the ancient Temple.
On his podcast, Carlson claimed that figures behind the conflict believed the war would lead to the destruction of the Dome of the Rock and Al-Aqsa Mosque on the Temple Mount. He said a Jewish Third Temple would then be built in their place. Carlson pointed to the Chabad-Lubavitch movement as supposedly helping advance that agenda.
“There are key players involved in this war… who believe that what we’re seeing on our television screen and on Twitter will usher in a series of events that will begin with the destruction of the Dome of the Rock, Al Aqsa Mosque, and then the rebuilding of the Third Temple,” Carlson said.
“This has been going on a long time in public through, in part, the efforts of a group called Chabad,” he added.
Chabad leaders quickly rejected the accusation. They warned that Carlson’s remarks revived a dangerous antisemitic incitement narrative.
Rabbi Yaacov Behrman, a Chabad community leader in Brooklyn, called the claim a “dangerous blood libel.”
“Chabad’s focus is on encouraging mitzvos — good deeds — to bring more goodness into the world and hasten the coming of the Messiah, while living responsibly in the present,” Behrman said.
Behrman also rejected Carlson’s attempt to link Chabad to patches worn by some Israeli soldiers depicting the ancient Jewish Temple. He said the patches had no connection to the movement. “Reckless rhetoric like this is dangerous and irresponsible,” he noted.
A Baseless Conspiracy Rooted in Antisemitic Incitement
The claim also collapses under basic scrutiny. Iran has launched ballistic missiles at Israeli cities since the fighting began. Any strike on sites in Jerusalem would result from Iranian attacks on Israel. It would not result from a Jewish effort to destroy Islamic holy places.
Carlson’s remarks quickly spread online. Fellow far-right commentator Candace Owens publicly endorsed the conspiracy theory. “Tucker is telling the truth about Chabad,” she wrote.
Owens escalated the rhetoric. She warned followers they “should absolutely be aware of where the Chabad is nearest your home.” She also described Chabad members as dangerous.
Owens also repeated another notorious antisemitic conspiracy theory, suggesting Israel was responsible for the September 11 terrorist attacks.
Carlson commands a massive online audience, giving his claims the potential to reach millions of viewers. His framing echoes longstanding antisemitic tropes portraying Jews as secretly orchestrating wars and manipulating world events.
Jewish security officials warn that such rhetoric can have real-world consequences. The Secure Community Network (SCN) coordinates security for Jewish institutions across the United States. The organization reported a sharp rise in violent antisemitic posts online after the war began last weekend.
The Combat Antisemitism Movement’s Antisemitism Research Center (ARC) recorded a 34% increase in antisemitic incidents worldwide this week.
Of the 154 total incidents monitored by the ARC, 73 — nearly 50% — were motivated by the Iran war, involving perpetrators driven to act by support of the regime or conspiratorial hatred of Jews and Israel.
Tucker Carlson reached a new low this week with his conspiratorial slander blaming the Iran war on Chabad.
The blood will be on Carlson’s hands when someone acts on the antisemitic hate he promotes.
Shame on you, @TuckerCarlson! We stand with @Chabad!https://t.co/0Zzq1ZasEH
— Combat Antisemitism Movement (@CombatASemitism) March 6, 2026
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