A video shared by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has sparked a wave of speculation on social media after several users claimed that his hand appeared to show six fingers, raising questions about whether the clip had been altered using artificial intelligence.

The short video was posted on Netanyahu’s official X account on March 13, where he delivered remarks about the ongoing Israel-US military campaign against Iran. The conflict, which has spread tensions across the Middle East, entered its 15th day at the time of the video’s release.

Soon after the clip circulated online, some users began highlighting a frame in which Netanyahu’s right hand appeared unusual while he gestured at the podium. Screenshots marked with circles and zoomed-in angles quickly spread across platforms, with captions such as “Classic AI finger glitch” and “look closely at his hand.”

Viral claims and speculation online

Several posts questioning the video gained millions of views. Many of them came from unverified accounts and suggested that the clip might have been generated or manipulated using AI. A few posts went further, spreading rumours that the Israeli Prime Minister was no longer alive.

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Among those who commented on the situation was American political commentator Candace Owens. In a post on X, she wrote, “Where’s Bibi?” referring to Netanyahu by his commonly used nickname. Owens also questioned why alleged AI videos were being circulated and deleted.

A Hebrew-language post shared by another user also mocked the image, asking whether Netanyahu had “six fingers” or had been absent for some time.

AI chatbot debunks the claim

The claims were addressed by X’s AI chatbot Grok, which responded to several posts circulating online. According to Grok, Netanyahu has five fingers on each hand and the unusual appearance in the screenshot was caused by camera angle and the highlighted circle creating an optical illusion.

The chatbot also pushed back against rumours about Netanyahu’s death, stating that such claims had been flagged as unverified misinformation by outlets including The Times of Israel and fact-checking site Snopes.

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Other online chatter fuels speculation

Additional speculation surfaced after an X page named “Kremlin”, which has no connection to the Russian government, claimed that Scott Bessent briefly left a press conference before returning. The post did not provide any evidence linking the incident to the circulating rumours.

Users also pointed to the account of Netanyahu’s son, Yair Netanyahu, noting that his last post on X appeared on March 9.

Despite the online buzz, no verified source has confirmed any irregularity in the video or the claims circulating on social media.