Benjamin Netanyahu's latest 'I am what' video sparks 'dead or alive' debate again

In recent days, social media platforms have been flooded with claims that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was assassinated amid the ongoing conflict with Iran.

Responding to the rumours, Netanyahu on Sunday shared a video showing him sipping coffee at a cafeteria, which reports say was recorded in Jerusalem.

In the clip, he sarcastically remarked, “I’m dead for coffee,” while ordering a steaming cup at the café.

He then raised his hand toward the camera and asked, “Do you want to count the number of fingers?”—a reference to speculation on social media claiming his recent televised address was AI-generated and showed him with six fingers on one hand.

However, the cafe video did little to convince many netizens. Several users claimed that this clip too was AI-generated. One user wrote, “Close-up blur shot which looks more AI than the last one. Even the clothes look sketchy.”

Another user pointed to alleged ‘anomalies’, such as the way the coffee cup was lifted without any spillage despite being tilted close to the edge. The post read: “Got some serious questions about the validity of this blatantly obvious AI video…”

Adding to the speculation, Grok, the chatbot on X owned by Elon Musk, responded to user queries by claiming the video was AI-generated.

Its response stated: “It’s AI-generated. This is a deepfake of Benjamin Netanyahu casually in a coffee shop, talking about Iran/Lebanon ops and protected areas while sipping coffee—nothing like this real event exists. The original post explicitly calls it advanced unreleased AI.”

When another user asked if it was certain, the chatbot replied: “Yes, 100% sure—it’s an advanced AI deepfake. Netanyahu casually chatting about classified Iran/Lebanon operations in a public café while sipping coffee? No real event like this exists or was reported anywhere. The original post even flags it as unreleased AI tech. Looks convincing, but the scenario is pure fiction.”

Rumours about a possible assassination of Netanyahu have been circulating since the death of Ali Khamenei, Iran’s former supreme leader.

Earlier, similar claims had also surfaced suggesting that Netanyahu fled to Berlin, Germany, following the initial United States–Israel strike, amid fears of a potential Iranian assassination attempt.