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Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu posted a video on X after conspiracy theories on social media claiming he was killed in an Iranian attack reached a fever pitch. In the video, Netanyahu is seen ordering a coffee at a cafe and joking about the rumors.
“I’m dying… for coffee,” he said, using a Hebrew phrase that roughly translates to “to love something to death.” “You know what? I’m ‘dying’ for my people. The way they’re behaving is fantastic ,” he added.
During the video, Netanyahu also raises both hands and points his fingers at the camera. Previously, several posts on social media had suggested that footage from his press conference on Thursday showed him with 6 fingers on one hand, raising suspicions that it was generated using artificial intelligence.
"Do you want to count my fingers? You can see them here... and here. See? Very nice ," Netanyahu said.
In a message to Israeli citizens, Netanyahu said: “ Go out and get some fresh air, but stay close to a protected space. Your resilience is amazing. It gives strength to me, the government, the IDF and the Mossad. We are doing things that I cannot… at this moment, but we are hitting Iran very hard, even today. Are you telling me to keep going? I am telling you all. Keep going too.”
Earlier on Sunday, Iran vowed to "hunt down and kill" Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
"If this child-killing criminal is alive, we will continue to pursue and kill him with full force," Iran's Revolutionary Guard said in a statement.
This comes as the war between Israel and Iran has entered its 16th day. The conflict escalated after the United States and Israel carried out joint attacks on Iran last month. The attacks killed Iran's 86-year-old Supreme Leader, Ali Khamenei, and sparked a wider conflict across the Middle East.
In response, Iran launched attacks on Israel and US military bases located in the Gulf countries, while Israel and the United States have continued to strike Iranian targets. Reports say the war has already killed more than 2,000 people, most of them in Iran.
The Pentagon says US and Israeli forces have struck more than 15,000 targets across Iran since the conflict began. US media have also reported that the Pentagon has deployed the amphibious assault ship USS Tripoli to the region along with about 2,500 Marines as the fighting continues.