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The Office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu dismissed social media claims on Saturday that suggested he had been assassinated in an Iranian response to US and Israeli strikes.
An Anadolu correspondent asked the office if they had a statement on increasing claims on social media that “Netanyahu has been assassinated.”
“This is fake news; the Prime Minister is fine,” the office replied.
Rumors intensified following reports that Prime Minister Netanyahu did not attend a 'War Council' meeting held during the ongoing conflict with Iran on Saturday.
Furthermore, the claims gained further traction after Iran’s Tasnim News Agency reported that unverified social media posts alleged 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 U.S. intelligence officer and UN weapons inspector.
Additionally, AI video claims increase the speed of rumors. Speculation intensified after social media users scrutinized a recent video of Netanyahu, claiming he appeared to have six fingers.
Regional tensions have flared since Israel and the US launched joint attacks against Iran on Feb. 28, killing more than 1,200 people, including then-Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.
Iran has retaliated with drone and missile strikes targeting Israel, along with Jordan, Iraq, and Gulf countries, which it says are targeting “US military assets.”
Three Iranian missiles have been intercepted after entering Turkish airspace since February 28. The Iranian government denies that the missiles fired toward Türkiye, Azerbaijan, and Greek Cyprus were fired by them.
Ali Khamenei's son Mojtaba Khamenei was selected as the new Supreme Leader last week.
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