Trump sends US envoy to check if Netanyahu is okay amid death rumours: New video shows he is...
&imwidth=600&imheight=450&format=webp&quality=medium "Trump sends US envoy to check if Netanyahu is okay amid death rumours: New video shows he is...")
Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and US Ambassador to Israel, Mike Huckabee Photograph: (X/Benjamin Netanyahu)
Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu posted fresh videos, including one with US envoy Mike Huckabee, dismissing viral death rumours amid the Iran conflict. Despite official assurances he is “alive,” AI claims and online conspiracy theories continue to fuel speculation.
Israel’s Prime Minister on Wednesday (Mar 18) shared posted yet another video with US Ambassador to Israel, Mike Huckabee, in an attempt to shut down the AI and death rumours. Since the day Iran claimed that Netanyahu's office has been it, it has been widely reported that the Israeli PM was not seen in public. Initially, to quash the rumours, Netanyahu had shared a video in from a coffee shop in Jerusalem. However, he was criticised and questioned for posting a video in such an informal setting amid the raging war. Several claims that the video was AI generated also surfaced.
Now, in the new video, Mike Huckabee - the US point of contact in Israel, is seen as he says that he was sent by the US President Donald Trump to check if Netanyahu was okay. To this, the Israeli PM says, “Yes Mike, I am alive.” In a direct response to claims that one of the video showed Netayahu with six fingers, the Israeli PM tells Huckabee, “We get along well and we shake hands with five fingers.” He then goes on to show a “punch card” and says that he is eliminating the “lunatics” one by one. Mike Huckabee responds saying that he is glad that his name is not on the list.
On Mar 17, Netanyahu shared yet another video to extend his wishes to the ‘brave people of Iran.’ Despite a statement by Netanyahu's office stating clearly that “PM is fine” ad rumours are “fake,” speculation about the Israeli leader’s death continues to persist. He also shared a video from the war room.
What were the other videos shared by Netanyahu?
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Since the conflict began, Iranian media has repeatedly claimed that Benjamin Netanyahu has not appeared in public. On March 2, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said it had targeted his office, sparking rumours that he had fled to Germany. A day later, however, Netanyahu appeared on Fox News, pushing back against the speculation. The rumours resurfaced after he was not seen in Israel for several days. On March 13, Netanyahu addressed the public via a video link—an approach he had also used during the 12-day war in 2025. However, some social media users claimed the footage was AI-generated, pointing to a frame that appeared to show him with six fingers. In an effort to counter the claims, another video was posted on March 15 showing him at a café in the Jerusalem Hills. In the clip, he joked in Hebrew about being “dead… for coffee” and deliberately held up both hands, counting five fingers on each, to dismiss the “six fingers” theory.
Why are speculations not dying down?
Speculations around his death are not dying down with social media pointing out several moments in all his videos claiming it is AI generated. On the coffee shop video, AI chatbot Grok picked the explanations by the users and added a note to the video stating that it looks “deepfake” or “AI generated.” Similar note was added to TV address on Mar 13. However, the primary reason for rumours is linked to Netanyahu missing seven consecutive security cabinet meetings and his appearances in high-stakes traditional settings and not in casual cafes. Another key reason for the rumours are its peddling by Iranian state media that has generated a narrative that Israel is using sophisticated AI to maintain national morale. Moreover, it may also be added to the ‘fog of war’ in which misinformation is used as a psychological tool.
(Disclaimer: WION takes utmost care to accurately and responsibly report ongoing conflicts in West Asia involving Israel, Iran, US, Gulf nations and non-state actors like Hezbollah, Hamas, Houthis, Islamic State, and others. Claims and counterclaims, disinformation and misinformation are being made online and offline. Given this context, WION cannot independently verify the authenticity of all statements, social media posts, photos and videos.)
