A recent video shared by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu from a coffee shop, intended to dispel rumours of his death, has instead fueled new speculation about his health after the AI assistant Grok claimed the footage was AI-generated.
The video was released following reports that Netanyahu had been killed in an Iranian attack circulating online.
According to the reports, the clip, Netanyahu mocked the rumours, quipping, “I am dead for coffee.”
https://x.com/netanyahu/status/2033190035764232360?s=46
However, Grok labelled the video a deepfake, calling it a “satire” and highlighting several signs that suggested it was not real, including a static coffee level and unnatural lip sync.
Several users on X also questioned the authenticity of the video. Jackson Hinkle, known for anti-Israel conspiracy theories, pointed out the unnatural movements of Netanyahu’s pocket.
Another user countered with footage showing Netanyahu putting his left hand into the pocket. Other observers noted that the coffee cup appeared to “defy gravity,” and that Netanyahu, who is left-handed, seemed to drink with his right hand.
Additional anomalies cited by X users included brown traces appearing on Netanyahu’s lips after sipping coffee, which vanished in the next frame.
In the same video, Netanyahu responded to a viral claim that he had six fingers on one hand by briefly holding up both hands to show ten, while some viewers alleged a double set of fingers appeared in certain frames.
Meanwhile, Tehran issued a fresh threat against the Israeli Prime Minister. According to Iran’s state news agency, Islamic Republic News Agency, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) vowed to hunt down Netanyahu. The agency posted on X: “IRGC vows to pursue and kill ‘child-killer’ Netanyahu if he is still alive.”
The threat comes as Iran continues retaliatory strikes across the Gulf region, while Israeli forces and the United States carry out attacks on Iranian targets.
Deepfakes and New Age of Information Warfare
The controversy surrounding the video highlights a growing challenge in the digital age, where advances in artificial intelligence and the rapid spread of information on social media are making it increasingly difficult to distinguish between authentic content and manipulated media.
In times of geopolitical tension, such uncertainty can quickly fuel speculation, misinformation and competing narratives. The debate over the clip also reflects a broader reality: in an era of AI-generated content and information warfare, even genuine footage can become the subject of intense scrutiny and doubt online.