Benjamin Netanyahu's office has moved to quash viral rumours that the Israeli prime minister is dead, releasing a photograph in Jerusalem on Tuesday that it says shows Benjamin Netanyahu personally ordering strikes on senior Iranian figures.
The image, shared on the official X account of the Prime Minister's Office, is being used as fresh proof that Benjamin Netanyahu is alive and directing Israel's response to Iran.
Benjamin Netanyahu Image Released As 'Proof Of Life'
The photograph released by the Prime Minister's Office shows Benjamin Netanyahu in what appears to be a command setting. The post on X was captioned: 'Photo: Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordering the elimination of senior Iranian regime officials.'
Israeli authorities have framed the picture as evidence that Netanyahu is directly overseeing decisions on targeted strikes against Iran's leadership at a moment of acute regional tension.
Those tensions have escalated sharply in recent weeks. Israeli strikes have reportedly killed senior Iranian figures, including security chief Ali Larijani and the head of the Basij paramilitary force, Gholamreza Soleimani.
Tehran has responded with waves of missile and drone attacks across the region, targeting Israel and countries it accuses of hosting US military assets. None of these battlefield developments, however, support the claim that Netanyahu himself has been killed, and Israeli officials have treated that suggestion as baseless.
The Prime Minister's Office had already addressed the rumours at the weekend, responding to a query from Turkey‑based Anadolu Agency. 'These are fake news; the Prime Minister is fine,' the office said.
Videos, Jokes And A 'Sixth Finger': How The Rumours Spread
In recent days, Benjamin Netanyahu has published several videos from his official accounts, which his team clearly intended as proof of life. One clip showed him in a café, joking that he was 'dead for coffee' as he interacted with members of the public in Jerusalem. Another video placed him outdoors delivering a statement. Both were shared widely online as confirmation that the prime minister remained active.
Netanyahu also issued a separate video message extending Nowruz greetings to the Iranian people. Supporters seized on that recording as further evidence that he was alive and leading Israel's response.
Yet instead of closing the matter, the footage became raw material for new theories. Some social media users fixated on Netanyahu's right hand in one video, claiming that a small patch of extra flesh beside his little finger, visible when he briefly raised his hand at around the 35‑second mark, showed a 'sixth finger'. They described it as a 'classic AI finger glitch', arguing the clip had been fabricated using artificial‑intelligence tools.
Others pointed to background details. Commenters claimed that curtains behind Netanyahu appeared to move in a repetitive pattern, while two Israeli flags in the shot stayed relatively still, suggesting to them that at least part of the image had been looped or generated. One user wrote that the curtain 'moves in the exact same pattern throughout the entire video, almost like it's looping'.
US conservative commentator Candace Owens amplified some of these doubts. 'Where's Bibi?' she asked on X, using Netanyahu's nickname. 'Why is his office releasing and deleting fake AI videos from him, and why is there mass panic at the White House?'
Fact‑checkers and officials in Israel have pushed back on the allegations. They have attributed the supposed extra finger to video compression and low‑resolution artefacts rather than digital fakery, and have noted that many modern broadcasts use digital or virtual backgrounds, which can produce visual oddities.
Benjamin Netanyahu Death Rumours In A Wider Information War
The swirl of claims about whether Benjamin Netanyahu is dead or alive is playing out against a violent backdrop. Israel and the United States launched joint strikes against Iranian targets on 28 February, an operation that killed Iran's then‑supreme leader, Ali Khamenei, and helped tip the long‑running stand‑off into what officials now openly describe as war.
Iran has since fired back with drone and missile salvos aimed at Israel and at neighbouring states where it says US forces are based, widening the conflict's geographic footprint.
In a move with global economic implications, Tehran has also closed the Strait of Hormuz, a narrow channel that normally carries around 20 million barrels of oil a day and about 20 per cent of the world's liquefied natural gas trade. Shipping across the Gulf has been disrupted, and energy markets have been left jittery as traders weigh the risks of a prolonged closure.
For now, the Israeli government's stance is clear, Benjamin Netanyahu is alive, working and personally involved in ordering strikes on Iran.
