Fake News Alert: Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu Not Killed, Office Denies Viral Assassination Rumours

The article reports widespread but unverified claims that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was killed. Official denials state he is alive, with fact-checkers noting a video may show an optical illusion. Grok and major outlets emphasise reliance on verified sources amid heightened Middle East tensions.

Unverified posts claiming that Benjamin Netanyahu has been killed spread widely online, prompting official denial. The Israeli Prime Minister's office reportedly called the assassination rumours "fake news" and stressed that Netanyahu is "fine", as speculation rose during heightened Middle East tensions linked to the ongoing US-Iran conflict.

The false claims gained momentum after a recent video shared from Netanyahu's official X handle led to a surge of conspiracy theories. Several accounts on the platform discussed the clip and suggested, without evidence, that the Israeli Prime Minister might be dead.

Netanyahu assassination rumours and social media speculation over video

Online users fixated on the same video, alleging that Netanyahu appeared to show six fingers on one hand. Many interpreted this as proof that the footage was either AI-generated or otherwise edited, and used it to support wider assassination rumours already circulating on social media.

Responding to the growing chatter, the Israeli Prime Minister's office told Turkish agency Anadolu Ajansı that posts stating "Netanyahu has been assassinated" were "fake news". The office added, "The Prime Minister is fine," attempting to draw a line under persistent talk of Netanyahu's alleged death.

Netanyahu assassination rumours addressed by X chatbot Grok

X's AI chatbot Grok also joined the fact-checking effort, explaining that what looked like an extra finger in the video was an optical illusion. Grok stated that this visual quirk did not indicate manipulation, countering theories that the clip was fabricated with artificial intelligence tools.

Grok further rejected wider Netanyahu death rumours, stating: "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." A reference to Scott Bessent also drew questions, triggering additional fact-checks.

Netanyahu assassination rumours and claims of deleted official tweets

Another strand of misinformation alleged that the Israeli Prime Minister's office posted about the rumours on X and then deleted the message. Grok reviewed these claims and said that no such tweet had been removed, describing the circulating screenshot that suggested otherwise as "fake".

The chatbot added that the Israeli Prime Minister's office had not issued any statement on its X account about Netanyahu's supposed assassination. According to Grok, the only recent update visible on that profile concerned a National Security Council announcement, underscoring that official channels did not support the online claims.