Benjamin Netanyahu: ‘Yes, Mike, I’m alive’: Netanyahu mocks death rumours again in new video with US envoy; says ‘crossed off two names today’

“Donald Trump wanted me to come and make sure you were ok,” Huckabee says with a laugh.Netanyahu responds: “Yes, Mike, I’m alive.”Huckabee then adds that Trump wanted to make sure “because you guys get along too well.”The Israeli premier continues the joke by taking aim at another viral online claim that recent videos of him were AI-generated.“We shake hands with five fingers in each hand,” Netanyahu says, mocking social media posts that alleged he appeared to have too many fingers in earlier footage.The remark was a direct reference to the so-called “six fingers” conspiracy theory that has been widely shared online in recent days.

Netanyahu also references fresh Israeli strikes

The video was not limited to humour.At one point, Netanyahu pulls out what he describes as a card listing senior Iranian leaders being targeted by Israel.“Today I erased two names on the punch card,” he says, referring to the overnight killings of Iran’s secretary of the Supreme National Security Council Ali Larijani and Basij commander Gholamreza Soleimani.Praising Washington’s role in the conflict, Netanyahu says: “What the president and US forces are doing is incredible.”He adds that Israel is “very proud to stand shoulder-to-shoulder” with the United States in the campaign against Iran, accusing Tehran’s leadership of seeking nuclear weapons and the means to strike “every American city” after “wiping out Israel.”“They ain’t gonna do that,” Netanyahu says. “We’re wiping them out.”Sharing the clip on X, Netanyahu wrote: “Crossing names off the list is good – doing it shoulder to shoulder with our American friends is even better.”He added, “Good to see Ambassador @GovMikeHuckabee. Always a pleasure.”The post appeared aimed at both reinforcing his public presence and projecting close strategic alignment with the Trump administration at a time when misinformation about his condition has been spreading online.

Rumours have swirled for days

This is now the latest in a string of videos Netanyahu has posted to dismiss false claims about his death.The Israeli prime minister on Monday shared another clip of himself outdoors, chatting casually while apparently buying coffee.In that video, when told that some channels were claiming he was dead, Netanyahu quipped: “I am dying for coffee”. That came a day after he posted another video showing both his palms and mocking rumours about his death as well as the “six fingers” claim.“They say I’m what?” Netanyahu had captioned that earlier video.

PM’s Office, Israeli envoy earlier denied claims

The Israeli Prime Minister’s Office has already rejected the rumours as entirely false.“These are fake news; the prime minister is fine,” the office told Anadolu News when asked about social media posts claiming Netanyahu had been killed in retaliation for recent Israeli and US strikes on Iran.Israeli ambassador to India Reuven Azar dismissed the viral claims during an interaction with reporters in Delhi, saying, “PM Netanyahu is alive. I saw him when I was in Israel more than once. The video at the cafe is not AI-fabricated. A lot of disinformation is being spread.”Azar also accused Iran and its “accomplices” of spreading disinformation, reported TOI.

‘Six fingers’ theory fuelled AI speculation

The “six fingers” rumour appears to have gained traction after Netanyahu posted a video of a press conference on Friday about the conflict involving Israel, the US and Iran.Some social media users claimed the footage was AI-generated, pointing to a moment when Netanyahu raised his hand and appeared, in their view, to have an extra finger.Users described it as a “classic AI finger glitch,” though the Israeli government has flatly rejected the claim.The rumours have spread during a period of heightened regional tension that began on February 28, when Israel and the United States launched coordinated strikes on targets in Iran, triggering a flood of misinformation, manipulated visuals and unverified claims online.