Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu posted a video on Sunday of himself having a cup of coffee and chatting with his aide, after rumors that he was dead or injured were carried by Iranian state media and circulated online in Iran.
In the video, taken in a cafe in the occupied Jerusalem suburbs and posted on Netanyahu’s Telegram account, his aide asks him about the rumors.
Netanyahu responds with a pun on the word death – which in Hebrew slang can be used to describe “being crazy about” someone or something – as he drinks a cup of coffee.
“I’m crazy about coffee. You know what? I’m crazy about my people,” Netanyahu told his aide.
He then raised his hands to the camera and asked, “Do you want to count the number of fingers?” ” – a reference to speculation on social media that his latest TV speech was generated by AI, as he appeared to have six fingers on one hand.
Reuters verified the video’s location from footage of the cafe, which matched the interiors seen in the video. The date was verified from several videos and photos of Netanyahu’s visit posted by the cafe on Sunday.
Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) threatened to kill Netanyahu on Sunday, as the war against the Islamic republic led by Israel and the United States entered its third week.
“The IRGC vows to pursue and kill Netanyahu, the ‘child killer,’ if he is still alive,” Iranian news agency IRNA said in an article on X.
Since the United States and Israel launched attacks on Iran on February 28, Netanyahu has visited at least two cities hit by Iranian missiles, a hospital, a port and military bases, but there has been little or no media access and videos have been distributed by his office.
Netanyahu, who rarely gives interviews to the Israeli press or holds news conferences, convened his first news conference since the war began via video link on Thursday, a format similar to the one he used in June during Israel’s 12-day war with Iran.
Emergency security restrictions imposed in Israel since the start of the war prohibit public gatherings and have forced most people to stay at home or near shelters and safe places, with schools closed in most of the country.
— With additional contribution from AFP
