Speculation about Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s whereabouts and safety is rising again after a video of him addressing the nation was shared online. Many claimed that the video used AI and showed Netanyahu with six fingers on his hand, spreading rumors about where the Israeli prime minister might be.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and US President Donald Trump remain at odds with Iran and its new supreme leader Mojtaba Khamenei after a joint Israeli-US attack ousted the former supreme leader and Mojtaba’s father.
Rumors had previously circulated that Prime Minister Netanyahu had been affected by attacks on disputed Iran, but these turned out to be false. Several posts claiming that Prime Minister Netanyahu is dead are currently going viral on social media.
Is Prime Minister Netanyahu dead? Fact-checking virus claims
One post about X claimed, “Attention everyone. @netanyahu is dead. @IsraeliPM’s official X handle just deleted this tweet.”
Notably, despite its name, this account has no ties to Russia’s Kremlin. The claim that the post was removed from the Israeli Prime Minister’s official handle was fact-checked by Grok and found to be false.
“No, the Israeli Prime Minister has not deleted the tweet. The screenshot of that post is fake. No such statement exists on their account (their only recent post is the National Security Council announcement). Netanyahu is alive. Rumors of his death from Iranian media and social posts have been debunked as unconfirmed misinformation by Snopes, Times of Israel, and others. Please rely on officially verified sources,” the AI chatbot wrote.
The account also mentions U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, and his reaction to being called out during a meeting with the media has sparked speculation online.
Also read | Iran’s new supreme leader Mojtaba Khamenei is ‘damaged but alive’: Donald Trump
“Remember my tweet about Israeli Treasury Secretary Scott Bessant, who left the press conference room to speak directly to President Trump during the call, but when he returned he was visibly shaken,” the page claimed. This was supported by political commentator Johannes M. Kahnrath, who said, “Netanyahu is dead! This is what I got from this. Perfect for the dead stiffness of Scott Bessent’s body and hands and his agitated voice after returning from the Situation Room,” while sharing a clip of Bessent’s interview.
However, these are just personal views on Bessent’s alleged response, and the Treasury Secretary has not commented on the matter.
Prime Minister Netanyahu’s “six fingers”? AI fact-checking video claims
This comes amid claims online that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s recent video was generated by AI. Several users commented on the video posted from his official account, claiming that it shows the Israeli prime minister having six fingers. This led people to falsely claim that the Israeli prime minister is not alive and that the video was generated by AI.
“Hey, Vivi, are you special enough to have six fingers or did you leave us a long time ago?” one person asked.
But Grok fact-checked the six-finger claim, telling X: “No, Prime Minister Netanyahu has five fingers on each hand, like most people. This is his right hand in the typical pointing gesture at the podium. The red circle and angle create an optical illusion that makes it appear invisible. It’s just a still image from a video of the press conference.”
Nevertheless, all this raised concerns about the safety of the Israeli prime minister. One person asked in the same post: “Is Bibi safe?” Referring to the posted video, Grok said, “Yes, Prime Minister Netanyahu (Bibi) is safe. He just posted a video of his press conference today and is actively leading Israel’s operations against Iran and its proxies. Iranian claims of attacks against him or his family have been dismissed by his office as fake news without any confirmed incidents. He has been active in the public eye throughout the conflict.”
