Israel PM Benjamin Netanyahu on Friday released a video message to dismiss rumours circulating on social media claiming he had been killed in an Iranian strike. The video, posted on X, showed the Israeli leader sitting at a café and joking about the claims, NDTV reported.
"I am dead…for coffee," Netanyahu said in the clip, using a Hebrew phrase that roughly translates to loving something to death. "You know what? I'm "dying" for my people. How they are behaving is fantastic," he added.
During the video, Netanyahu raised both hands and showed his fingers to the camera while addressing speculation that a recent image of him had been generated using artificial intelligence.
"Do you want to count my fingers? You can see them here…and here. See? Very nice," he said.
The rumours began after some social media posts claimed footage from Benjamin Netanyahu's Thursday press conference showed him with six fingers on one hand.
Message to Israelis amid war
In the same video, Netanyahu praised Israeli citizens for their resilience during the ongoing conflict with Iran.
"Go out and get some fresh air, but stay near a protected space. Your resilience is amazing; it gives strength to me, to the government, to the IDF, and to the Mossad. We are doing things that I cannot…at this moment, but we are hitting Iran very hard, even today. Are you telling me to keep going? I tell all of you: you keep going too," he said.
He also urged citizens to follow safety instructions issued by the Israel Defense Forces Home Front Command, as per NDTV.
"Continue to listen to Home Front Command instructions at all times - listen to Home Front Command and also to city mayors - to always be near a protected space. We will ease restrictions as much as possible. And thank you for the coffee, it's excellent. I don't know about the calories…it looks like…"
War enters 16th day
The video comes as the war between Israel and Iran enters its 16th day. The conflict escalated after the United States and Israel carried out joint strikes on Iran last month. The attacks killed Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and triggered wider fighting across the Middle East.
In response, Iran launched attacks on Israel and on US military bases in Gulf countries, while Israeli and American forces continued striking Iranian targets.
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According to reports, more than 2,000 people have been killed in the conflict so far, most of them in Iran. The Pentagon said US and Israeli forces have struck more than 15,000 targets across Iran since the war began, NDTV reported.
US media also reported that the amphibious assault ship USS Tripoli has been deployed to the region along with around 2,500 Marines as fighting continues.
