A video released by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to counter rumours about his death has instead triggered fresh speculation online after the AI chatbot Grok suggested that the footage might be artificially generated. The clip was posted after claims circulated on the internet alleging that Netanyahu had been killed in an Iranian attack.
In the video, Netanyahu appears seated at a coffee shop and mocks the rumours about his death. At one point, he jokingly says, “I am dead for coffee,” seemingly dismissing the claims circulating on social media. However, the clip soon became the focus of intense online debate after Grok stated that the footage appeared to be an AI-generated deepfake.
The chatbot described the video as a possible satirical post and highlighted what it claimed were visual irregularities in the footage. According to Grok’s analysis, the level of coffee in Netanyahu’s cup appeared unchanged throughout the clip, and his lip movements did not seem to align naturally with the audio. These elements led the AI system to suggest that the video might not be authentic.
Grok’s comments further intensified speculation about Netanyahu’s whereabouts and health. Several users on the social media platform X also began sharing posts claiming that the clip was a deepfake. Some users pointed to additional details they believed were unusual in the video.
One such claim involved the movement of Netanyahu’s jacket pocket, which some users said appeared unnatural in the footage. Others circulated screenshots and short clips focusing on the coffee cup seen in the video, suggesting that the liquid inside did not spill despite movement, which they argued was unrealistic.
Some users also claimed that Netanyahu appeared to be drinking coffee with his right hand even though he is widely believed to be left-handed. Another observation shared online suggested that brown traces appeared briefly on his lips after he sipped coffee but disappeared in the next frame.
In response to another rumour circulating online — which claimed a viral clip showed him with six fingers on one hand — Netanyahu posted a separate video addressing the claim. In that clip, he briefly raised both hands toward the camera to show that he had ten fingers, appearing to mock the allegation. However, some social media users still claimed that certain frames in the video appeared to show duplicated fingers.
The controversy over the videos unfolded amid rising tensions between Israel and Iran. Iran’s state news agency, the Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA), issued a statement on Sunday reporting that the country’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps had vowed to pursue and kill Netanyahu if he were still alive.
The threat came as Iran continued retaliatory actions across parts of the Gulf region following strikes carried out by Israel and the United States on Iranian targets. The ongoing conflict has heightened tensions across the Middle East, with military operations and political messaging continuing from both sides.
