Netanyahu releases video denying rumors about his death

Israeli Prime Minister – (Web Desk) – Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu shared a short video on Sunday after rumors spread online saying he had died or was badly injured. The rumors first appeared on Iranian state media and quickly moved across social media in Iran.

In the video, Netanyahu is sitting at a small café on the edge of Jerusalem. The clip was posted on his Telegram account. He is seen holding a cup of coffee and talking with one of his aides.

His aide asks him about the rumors going around. Netanyahu answers with a light joke. In Hebrew slang, the word “dead” can also mean being very crazy about something.

Smiling, Netanyahu lifts his coffee cup and replies, “I’m crazy about coffee. And you know what? I’m crazy about my people too.”

אומרים שאני מה? צפו >> pic.twitter.com/ijHPkM3ZHZ

— Benjamin Netanyahu – בנימין נתניהו (@netanyahu) March 15, 2026

He then raised his hands to the camera, asking, “Do you want to count the number of fingers?” — a reference to speculation on social media that his latest televised address was generated by AI as he appeared to have six fingers on one hand.

Reuters verified the video’s location from file imagery of the cafe, which matched the interiors seen in the video. The date was verified from multiple videos and photos of Netanyahu’s visit posted by the cafe on Sunday.

Iran’s Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) threatened on Sunday to kill Netanyahu, as the war against the Islamic republic led by Israel and the US entered its third week.

“IRGC vows to pursue and kill ‘child-killer’ Netanyahu if he is still alive,” Iran’s IRNA news agency said in a post on X.

Since the US and Israel launched attacks on Iran on February 28, Netanyahu has visited at least two towns hit by Iranian missiles, a hospital, port and military bases, but there was little to no media access, and videos were distributed by his office.

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Netanyahu, who rarely gives interviews to Israeli press or holds news conferences, convened his first press conference since the start of the war via a video link on Thursday, a similar format to the one he used in June during Israel’s 12-day war with Iran.

Emergency safety restrictions in Israel since the start of the war ban public gatherings and have kept most people at home or close to shelters and safe rooms, with schools shut across most of the country.