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Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu moved to shut down conspiracy theories about his death on Sunday, posting a lighthearted video from a cafe on X in which he joked about the rumours while urging Israeli citizens to remain resilient as the conflict with Iran enters its 16th day.
The video was the latest and most public effort to counter claims that have circulated widely on social media since Saturday, when multiple posts alleged Netanyahu had been assassinated in an Iranian strike.
The rumours began gathering momentum on Saturday after reports emerged that Netanyahu had not attended a War Council meeting held during the ongoing conflict with Iran. His office was forced to issue a denial after the Anadolu news agency asked for comment on the growing claims. "This is fake news; the Prime Minister is fine," the office said.
The speculation deepened after Iran's Tasnim News Agency reported on unverified social media posts alleging that Iran had struck Netanyahu's residence, killing his brother and wounding Israel's National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir. The outlet also cited parallel comments from Scott Ritter, a former US intelligence officer and UN weapons inspector.
Artificial intelligence added another layer to the conspiracy. Social media users scrutinised a recent video of Netanyahu, claiming it showed him with six fingers on one hand and was therefore AI-generated, a claim that fuelled assertions that the real Netanyahu was no longer alive.
Netanyahu addressed it on Sunday with dry humour. When asked about online rumours that he was dead, he replied, "I am dead... for coffee," using a Hebrew expression that roughly translates to loving something to death. "You know what? I'm dying for my people. How they are behaving is fantastic," he added.
He then held both hands up to the camera, directly confronting the six-finger conspiracy. "Do you want to count my fingers? You can see them here... and here. Very nice," he said, before raising his cup in a toast.
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The video quickly shifted in tone as Netanyahu delivered a message to Israeli citizens. He urged the public to go outside and get fresh air but to remain close to protected spaces at all times, and to follow instructions from both the Home Front Command and city mayors. "Your resilience is amazing; it gives strength to me, to the government, to the military, and to the Mossad," he said.
Without offering specifics, Netanyahu signalled that military operations were ongoing. "We are doing things that I cannot share at this moment, but we are hitting Iran very hard, even today," he said, adding that operations in Lebanon were also continuing. He closed the security portion of his remarks with a direct appeal: "You tell me to keep going. I tell all of you, you keep going too."
He signed off on a lighter note, thanking the barista and quipping that while the coffee was excellent, the calories looked "very dangerous."
The video appeared partly aimed at countering not only online disinformation but also rhetoric from Tehran. Earlier on Sunday, Iran's Revolutionary Guards issued a statement vowing to "pursue and kill" Netanyahu. "If this child-killing criminal is alive, we will continue to pursue and kill him with full force," the Guards said.
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