Fact-Check: Israeli PM Netanyahu debunks death rumours, sips coffee, shows 5 fingers

TEL AVIV: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on March 15 debunked the rumours of his assassination, following a surge of social media posts suggesting his demise.

In a post on X, he posted a video drinking coffee and showing his five fingers after Iran’s social media accounts claimed he was dead and his old video showed was AI-generated, showed him with six fingers.
Netanyahu captioned the video as, “They say I’m what? Watch >>”

🇮🇱 Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu releases a new video from a café in Israel, dismissing fake news and disinformation circulating on X about his death.pic.twitter.com/qlsThHUTQa

— Megh Updates 🚨™ (@MeghUpdates) March 15, 2026

Earlier in the day, Netanyahu’s office confirmed that he is “fine. The clarification was issued after a correspondent from the Anadolu Agency questioned his office regarding widespread claims on digital platforms that “Netanyahu has been assassinated.” In a direct response, Netanyahu’s office dismissed the reports, stating, “These are fake news; the Prime Minister is fine.”

The rumours gained momentum after the Israeli PM posted a video of a press conference on Friday discussing the ongoing conflict involving the US, Israel, and Iran. Some social media users alleged that the footage was AI-generated, claiming to have identified six fingers on the Prime Minister’s right hand.

Specifically, viewers pointed to a moment at the 0:35 mark where Netanyahu raises his hands, asserting that visible extra flesh near his little finger was a ‘Classic AI finger glitch’.

American conservative commentator Candace Owens joined the discourse, asking, “Where’s Bibi?” in a post on X. She further questioned, “Why is his office releasing and deleting fake AI videos from him, and why is there mass panic at the White House?”

However, X’s AI chatbot, Grok, fact-checked the allegations, clarifying that Netanyahu does not have six fingers. It explained that the visual anomalies were optical illusions caused by shadows, hand angles, or the palm’s natural shape, such as the hyphenar eminence. The chatbot noted that official footage from Israel’s Government Press Office confirms a standard five fingers per hand.

The backdrop to these rumours is a significant regional escalation that began on 28 February, when joint Israeli and US attacks were launched against Iran. The opening day of the conflict resulted in the death of former Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, prompting Iran to retaliate with strikes against neighbouring oil-exporting nations. (With inputs from ANI)