Amid the raging Israel-US-Iran conflict, viral social media rumours claiming that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has died or been assassinated have been firmly debunked, even as Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) issued a chilling threat to hunt him down.
The speculation erupted online, fuelled by Netanyahu’s few recent public appearances and his absence from certain security meetings. A video he posted on X during a press conference on the escalating war drew scrutiny — users pointed to an apparent “extra finger” (a supposed sixth digit near his little finger at the 0:35 mark) as proof it was AI-generated, suggesting he was already dead or the footage fabricated to cover up his demise.
Adding fuel to the fire, Iran’s IRGC released a statement on Sunday branding Netanyahu a “child-killing criminal Zionist Prime minister.” It declared: “If the criminal Zionist Prime Minister is still alive, we will chase him down with full force and kill him.” The IRGC expressed uncertainty over whether he had been eliminated in Iranian strikes or had fled Israel with his family, portraying it as a sign of “crisis and chaos” in the Israeli leadership.
Netanyahu’s office swiftly countered the claims, telling Anadolu Agency that the rumours were “fake news” and affirming, “The Prime Minister is absolutely fine.”
The episode highlights how misinformation thrives in wartime tensions, with the IRGC’s provocative vow underscoring Tehran’s unrelenting hostility despite official Israeli assurances of Netanyahu’s safety. As strikes continue across the region, such rumours risk further inflaming an already volatile conflict, potentially leading to increased tensions between Israel and Iran and affecting civilian safety in the area.
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