If rumors of his death are exaggerated, Benjamin Netanyahu is making the internet give it a loud ‘five finger’. Israel’s prime minister posted another video Tuesday with U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee doubling down on efforts to quell virus conspiracy theories claiming he died during the conflict with Iran.
“I am alive,” the Israeli prime minister said with a smile, before adding a jab at one of the more bizarre claims online. “We shake hands using five fingers on each hand.”
The comment was a direct swipe at viral posts suggesting previous videos of the Israeli leader were AI-generated, with some users claiming to have spotted a “sixth finger” in the video clips.
The latest video shows Netanyahu walking and talking to Huckabee, who joked that US President Donald Trump had sent him to check on the Israeli leader.
“Mr Prime Minister, I want you to know that the President asked me to come and make sure you are okay,” Huckabee said.
Netanyahu responded, “Yes, Mike. Yes, I am alive.”
Huckabee continued the joke, saying Trump said, “I want to make sure you guys are doing so well,” and Prime Minister Netanyahu resorted to more jokes.
But the video was not light at all. “Today we erased two names from the punch card,” Netanyahu said, referring to Israeli airstrikes against the Iranian leadership.
The remarks appeared to refer to Israel’s claim to eliminate senior Iranian security figures, including Ali Larijani and Basij commander Gholamreza Soleimani, in a series of strikes hours earlier. The deaths were eventually confirmed by Iranian authorities and state media.
This video contains the latest footage of Netanyahu in recent days to counter false claims being spread online, including footage of Netanyahu briefing at a cafe and interacting with locals.
In a video filmed at the cafe, he wittily responded to rumors of his death by saying, “I want coffee so much, would you like to count your fingers?”
The rumor gained further traction when social media users questioned the authenticity of the previous video, pointing out that what they claimed was an extra finger, a common flaw in AI-generated images.
Speculation intensified when doctored images of an apparently injured Netanyahu began circulating online, and his son Yair’s silence on social media further fueled the claims.
Israeli officials have repeatedly dismissed the rumors as false. The Israeli Prime Minister’s Office called it ‘fake news’ and Israeli Ambassador Reuven Azar accused Iran-linked actors of spreading disinformation.
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