Jerusalem, 15 March (H.S.): Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is alive and well, his office affirmed today, dismissing rampant social media rumors of his assassination or replacement by artificial intelligence as baseless fabrications.The controversy erupted after Netanyahu posted a video on X showing him addressing the ongoing US-Israel-Iran conflict.

At the 0:35 timestamp, as he raised his hands during a press conference, viewers spotted what appeared to be an extra digit next to his little finger on his right hand—a telltale sign of AI generation, skeptics claimed.

American commentator Candace Owens amplified the speculation, questioning, Where's Bibi? and alleging mass panic at the White House alongside deleted fake AI videos.

Fact-checkers swiftly intervened. X's AI chatbot Grok clarified that the anomaly stemmed from optical illusions caused by shadows, hand angles, or the natural palm shape known as the hypothenar eminence, with full footage from Israel's Government Press Office confirming standard five fingers per hand.

PolitiFact echoed this, noting a trick of light made part of Netanyahu's palm resemble an extra finger in still frames, while motion in the video proved otherwise.

This incident marks the latest in a series of death hoaxes targeting Netanyahu during Day 16 of the US-Israel-Iran war, which began February 28 with joint strikes killing Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

Iranian state media, including Tasnim News Agency, previously pushed unverified claims of his injury or demise, citing secondhand reports from figures like Scott Ritter—speculation undercut by Netanyahu's recent public appearances, such as a March 7 statement and a site visit in Beersheba.

Earlier health rumors of prostate cancer or blood cancer were also quashed by official medical reports confirming only a post-surgical urinary tract infection.

Netanyahu's team labeled the latest claims fake news, responding directly to queries from Anadolu Agency. As disinformation swirls amid Iran's retaliatory strikes on regional oil infrastructure and closure of the Strait of Hormuz—disrupting 20% of global LNG trade—such hoaxes risk inflaming an already volatile theater.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar