Fact Check: Is Netanyahu dead? Viral claim says Israel PM Office deleted tweet about contacting him
WASHINGTON, DC: Rumors that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has died are spreading widely on social media amid tensions involving Israel, the US, and Iran. One viral post claimed Netanyahu had died and suggested that the official Israeli Prime Minister account deleted a tweet denying the death reports, fueling further speculation.
Claim: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is dead
Heads up EVERYONE. @netanyahu is DEAD
— The Kremlin (@The_Kremlinn) March 13, 2026
Official X handle of @IsraeliPM just deleted this tweet
REMEMBER my tweet about Israel Treasury Secretary Scott Bessant left a press conference to talk to Trump directly on call, on return he was visibly shaking.
Now the PM's office is… pic.twitter.com/m5hEVi1Htm
A recent viral post on X, shared by the account The Kremlin, claimed that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had died. The post included an alleged screenshot of a tweet from the official Israeli PM account, suggesting that the tweet denying the death rumors had been deleted.
The user referenced a previous tweet, saying Israel Treasury Secretary Scott Bessant had left a press conference to speak directly with President Donald Trump and returned visibly shaken. The post claimed the PM’s office is now urging citizens to rely only on verified updates and concluded, “One thing is clear. @netanyahu is DEAD."
The alleged screenshot in the post showed a statement reading: “Official statement from the Prime Minister’s Office: Rumors circulating on social media about PM Benjamin Netanyahu’s status are unconfirmed. We urge citizens to rely on verified updates. Efforts are underway to establish contact. PM Netanyahu remains committed to Israel’s security.”
Within hours, the post attracted over 1.9 million views, and 1.3K people commented, questioning whether the screenshot was genuine. Many asked if the alleged PM Office tweet really existed.
Fact Check: Benjamin Netanyahu's death rumors are debunked
Rumors that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had died began spreading in early March 2026. Posts on X, TikTok, and Facebook claimed he had died during an Iranian missile attack on Israel. Many videos even showed supposed scenes of mourning in Israeli underground bunkers. These posts attracted attention amid high regional tensions, but none offered credible proof or official confirmation.
The recent viral claim from an X user, The Kremlin, that Netanyahu had died is false. Fact-checkers confirmed the screenshot used in the post was fake, and there was no deleted tweet from the Prime Minister’s official account.
Even the AI chatbot Grok clarified that the screenshot did not exist and no tweets had been removed. Fact-check groups and media outlets also reported the rumors as unverified misinformation, tracing them back to online discussions linked to an Iranian news outlet.
Speculation grew when fewer videos of Netanyahu appeared on official channels, and increased security around his residence added to the rumors.
To counter the claims, the Israeli government released images showing Netanyahu visiting locations such as the port city of Ashdod and speaking at national facilities. His official social media accounts confirmed he remains active and engaged in public duties.
