"I'm Alive": Netanyahu's Press Briefing Amid Death Rumours, AI Video Claims

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday held a press conference and once again dismissed rumours of his death.

Addressing the foreign press in English, Netanyahu debunked the conspiracy theories of his death, saying, "First of all, I just want to say I'm alive, and you're all witnesses."

"Now that I have dispatched this piece of fake news, I want to give you an update on Operation Roaring Lion," he said in his second press conference since the start of the US-Israeli war on Iran on February 28.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, this evening, to the Foreign Press:

“First of all, I just want to say I'm alive, and you're all witnesses.
Now that I dispatched this piece of fake news, I want to give you an update on Operation Roaring Lion. pic.twitter.com/VJnWRkXQul

— Prime Minister of Israel (@IsraeliPM) March 19, 2026

Rumours about Netanyahu's death were triggered on social media when several users claimed that his March 12 televised address was generated by AI, as he appeared to have six fingers on one hand.

On March 15, Netanyahu published a short video making light of the rumours.

"I'm dead for coffee," he said sarcastically on his official X account as he received a steaming cup at a cafe outside Jerusalem.

He then raised his hands to the camera, asking, "Do you want to count the number of fingers?".

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

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

However, many users and even X's AI chatbot, Grok, labelled the coffee shop video as 'AI-generated' content.

Netanyahu Debunks Death Rumours In Clip With US Envoy

Benjamin Netanyahu, on March 17, released another video message to dismiss the death rumours.

In the clip posted on his personal X account, he was seen walking alongside the US ambassador to Israel, Mike Huckabee.

In the video, Huckabee tells the Iranian leader that the US President Donald Trump has asked him to "come and make sure you were okay".

"Yes, Mike. Yes. I'm alive", Netanyahu mocks, adding, "We shake hands with five fingers in each hand, you know".

Crossing names off the list is good - doing it shoulder to shoulder with our American friends is even better.

Good to see Ambassador @GovMikeHuckabee. Always a pleasure.

🇮🇱🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/FZrZN03IZI

— Benjamin Netanyahu - בנימין נתניהו (@netanyahu) March 17, 2026

He then took a card out of his pocket, saying, "I'm alive, but I have this card. No, don't read it".

Iran's Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) on Sunday had also threatened to kill Netanyahu.

"If this child-killing criminal is alive, we will continue to pursue and kill him with full force," the Iran's Revolutionary Guards said in a statement.

Netanyahu Says Iran "Decimated"

Benjamin Netanyahu, during the press briefing on Thursday, said Iran is being "decimated" and that the Islamic Republic no longer has the capacity to enrich uranium or manufacture ballistic missiles.

Praising his cooperation with Donald Trump, he said, "We are winning, and Iran is being decimated."

"This war ending a lot faster than people think," he said without providing a specific timeframe.

Netanyahu said he was "not sure who's running Iran right now".

"Mojtaba, the replacement ayatollah, has not shown his face," he said, in a reference to Iran's newly appointed supreme leader, the son of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was killed in an airstrike on the first day of the war.

"We're seeing cracks, and we're trying to propagate them as fast as we can, not only in the top command. We're seeing cracks in the field," the Israeli prime minister said.