Benjamin Netanyahu has released a 'proof of life' video from inside a coffee shop after Iranian state media falsely claimed he had been killed in a missile strike.
The Israeli prime minister appeared on camera to quash rumours he was dead or seriously wounded, insisting Israel was striking Iran 'very hard'.
In a pointed swipe at conspiracy theories, Netanyahu even asked the person filming to count his fingers - responding to viral claims that a previous video he posted had been generated using artificial intelligence and showed him with six fingers.
On Friday, Iranian outlets reported that Netanyahu had been killed or badly injured in a strike, with the semi-official Tasnim news agency claiming footage of him circulating online was 'likely made using artificial intelligence' as part of an alleged cover-up.
The reports spread rapidly across social media and were amplified by anti-Israel accounts, fuelling speculation about the Israeli leader's fate at a time of intensifying conflict in the region.
Meanwhile, Mojtaba Khamenei - who took over as supreme leader after his father was assassinated on the opening day of the war - has not been seen in public since, with Iran admitting he was wounded in the same strike but insisting he is still alive.
Donald Trump said: 'I think he is damaged, but I think he's probably alive in some form.'
Pete Hegseth, the US defence secretary, claimed he was 'wounded and likely disfigured'.
Benjamin Netanyahu has released a 'proof of life' video from inside a coffee shop after Iranian state media falsely claimed he had been killed in a missile strike.
The Israeli prime minister appeared on camera to quash rumours he had been killed or seriously wounded.
Speaking in the new footage, Netanyahu struck a defiant tone, saying Israel was hitting Iran 'very hard' and hinting at covert operations inside the country.
'We are doing things that I can't share at the moment,' he said, while also urging Israelis to remain close to shelters as the fighting continues.
At one point, he added: 'I love coffee, I love my nation' - using the Hebrew slang word 'met', which can also mean 'dead', in what appeared to be a tongue-in-cheek nod to the rumours surrounding him.
He also said the public's strength 'gives him, the government, the IDF and the Mossad strength'.
The claims about his death were later quietly dropped by Iranian media without explanation or correction.
Anti-Israel accounts on X and other social media platforms have repeatedly made false claims that senior Israeli figures have been killed since the start of the war.
Last week, several claimed that the ultra-nationalist national security minister had died in a missile attack.
Some of the conspiracy theories have even been broadcast on Iranian state media, which remains the only source of information for many citizens amid a sweeping internet blackout.
As part of the propaganda push, Tehran has also sought to weaponise the Epstein scandal against senior figures in the US government.
Netanyahu regularly posts video updates on his official X account and has increasingly bypassed traditional media in favour of interviews with social media influencers.