WATCH: Huckabee visits Netanyahu to ‘make sure he’s OK’ after viral rumor
The U.S. ambassador to Israel checked up on the prime minister following online conspiracies claiming he had died.
Mike Huckabee, US ambassador to Israel
U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee visited Benjamin Netanyahu following online rumors of the Israeli prime minister’s demise, in a humorous exchange posted to X on Tuesday.
“The president asked me to come and make sure you’re okay,” Huckabee tells Netanyahu following online rumors that he had been killed.
“Yes, Mike, yes, I’m alive,” Netanyahu replied.
“I checked that and I’m happy to see that but he wanted to make sure because, you know, you guys get along too well,” Huckabee said.
“I know, and we shake hands with five fingers,” Netanyahu said, referring to a video posted by Israel’s Government Press Office last week, which appeared to show him with six fingers.
That prompted speculation that the prime minister had been killed by Iran, a fact conspiracy theorists said was being covered up by the creation of a deepfake video created by artificial intelligence (AI).
AI sometimes struggles with mapping hand movements.
The video that started the rumor was a March 12 press conference streamed live. About 59 seconds in, it appears Netanyahu has six fingers on his right hand.
The Huckabee video follows another posted by Netanyahu on Sunday, in which he buys a cup of coffee at a café to dispel the conspiracy theories.
“They’re saying online that you’re actually dead,” says someone in Hebrew off camera.
“I’m dying for coffee,” Netanyahu facetiously replies.
The Hebrew phrase “to die for” is an idiom expressing extreme enthusiasm or love for something.
Netanyahu continued, “You know what? I’m ‘dying for’ my people.”
The Israeli leader then raised his fingers and asked the cameraman if he wanted to count them.
The premier went on to praise Israelis for their steadfastness during the war, saying their support had given him, the government, the Israel Defense Forces and the Mossad intelligence agency the strength to continue carrying out actions that “I cannot share with you right now.”
Israel is delivering heavy blows to Iran and Hezbollah in Lebanon, he said, urging citizens to continue following Home Front Command guidelines by remaining close to protected spaces.
As of Wednesday morning Israel time, the post had garnered nearly 80 million impressions.
LATEST
