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‘PM is fine’: Netanyahu's office dismisses ‘fake’ social media claims of assassination
X's AI chatbot, Grok, had also debunked several social media speculations and reiterated that Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu is alive.
Amid unverified claims and reports of Benjamin Netanyahu being assassinated doing rounds on social media, the Israeli Prime Minister's office reportedly dismissed the "fake news" and said that the PM is "fine".
Several videos and posts on social media seemingly discussed speculations of Netanyahu's death after a video posted by his X handle triggered a wave of online conspiracy theories. Follow US-Iran war news live updates
However, the Israeli PM's office told Turkish news agency, Anadolu Ajansı, that social media claims of "Netanyahu has been assassinated" are "fake news". "The Prime Minister is fine," the office stated.
Social media buzz on Netanyahu
Several social media users began speculating after Netanyahu posted a video on his X handle, claiming the Israeli PM appeared to have six fingers on one hand, interpreting the footage as AI-generated or manipulated.
X's AI chatbot Grok was quick to address the rumours, saying that what appeared to be an extra finger was actually a visual illusion rather than a sign of manipulated video.
Grok also dismissed rumours of Netanyahu's death and said: "Netanyahu is alive; death rumors from Iranian media and social posts have been debunked by Snopes, Times of Israel, and others as unverified misinformation. Rely on official verified sources."
There were also claims that the Israeli PM's office posted an update on the rumours and then deleted it. However, Grok fact-checked these claims as well. It said that the Israeli PM did not delete any tweet, verifying that the screenshot doing the rounds is "fake".
The AI chatbot further affirmed that the Israeli PM's office did not issue any such statement on its X account, stating that the only recent post on that profile was of a National Security Council announcement.
Buzz over Yair Netanyahu's Twitter
Benjamin Netanyahu's son Yair Netanyahu's X account also drew attention amid the rumours.
The speculations around the Israeli PM's assassination, which began with the video on his X handle, were further fuelled by social media claims that Yair had stopped posting on his X handle after a while. Many reportedly claimed that he stopped posting due to a 'family tragedy'.
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“Rumors of the Bibi pack are gaining traction. It’s been 5 days since Yair Netanyahu has posted to his X feed. Prior to that, he was tweeting 30-40 times per day,” one account on X said.
While it is true that Yair last posted on X on March 9, there have been no indications that suggest the rumours being true. Besides, the Israeli PM's office has debunked the claims and clarified that Netanyahu is fine.
Claims amid US-Israel-Iran war
The buzz also comes at a time when the Middle East region is facing a wider regional conflict in the wake of the US-Israel-Iran war. What began with joint US-Israeli strikes on Iran, resulting in the death of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, quickly spiralled into a full-blown regional conflict. Iran retaliated to the attacks by striking US bases in the region, bombing Tel Aviv, and also launching missiles across US-linked bases in the Middle East regions, including in the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, etc.
The escalating war does not seem to be nearing its end, even though US President Donald Trump has claimed several times that the war is “almost” over, affirming that there isn't much left for the US to target in Iran. He recently said in a post on Truth Social that Iran has been “completely decimated”.
