Benjamin Netanyahu posts second video as death claims mount, netizens call cafe video AI-generated

Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday posted a second video on his official X account, in response to rising claims about his death in an Iranian airstrike.

This comes after he posted a video in a cafe, in which he could be seen ordering coffee and mocking the death allegations that his office had already declared were false.

In the newest video, titled "Sticking to the guidelines and winning together", the Israeli PM can be seen casually interacting with civilians in an outdoor location—said to be somewhere in Jerusalem—and taking photos.

He was also accompanied by members of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) for security, as the Iran Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) declared on Sunday that it would "pursue and kill him", as per its official outlet, Sepah News.

"Is there anything more beautiful than Jerusalem?" he said to some people after making some small talk.

He later talks to a few others, asking them if they knew where their nearest protected space (bomb shelter) was.

"You have to understand—this requires patience and resilience, but it’s also possible to go out sometimes, to get some air, but always, always stay near a protected space," he added.

Death claims

Viral claims that the Israeli PM had died began after a video of his first public appearance—since an Iranian airstrike allegedly killed him—was flagged by netizens as AI-generated.

A number of netizens even alleged that Netanyahu had six fingers on one of his hands in the video, among other things they flagged as indicative of AI.

Despite Netanyahu's office also dismissing the claims of his death on Saturday, by saying that the rumours were "fake news; the Prime Minister is fine", the claims continued to persist.

Then came the cafe video—Netanyahu's first official response to the death claims.

Despite chatting to the camera and even holding up his hands to show five fingers on each side, netizens continued to allege that the video was AI-generated, and that he was likely killed.