'Fake news, Netanyahu is fine': Israeli Prime Minister's office rebuts assassination rumours
PTC News Desk: The office of Benjamin Netanyahu on Saturday rejected viral social media claims suggesting that the Israeli Prime Minister had been assassinated amid the escalating conflict involving Israel, United States and Iran.
Responding to a query from Anadolu Agency, based in Turkey, the Prime Minister’s Office firmly denied the reports. “These are fake news; the Prime Minister is fine,” the office said. The rumours began circulating after Netanyahu posted a video on his account on X on Friday, in which he was seen addressing a press conference about the ongoing Israel–US–Iran conflict. Soon after the clip was shared, some social media users claimed they noticed what looked like six fingers on Netanyahu’s right hand when he briefly raised it during the speech.
The speculation spread as tensions in the region sharply escalated. On February 28, Israel and the United States carried out joint strikes on Iran, an operation that reportedly killed Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and triggered a full-scale conflict.
Since then, Iran has launched retaliatory drone and missile attacks targeting Israel as well as several neighbouring countries that it accuses of hosting US military assets.
In a further escalation, Iran has shut the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world’s most crucial maritime energy corridors. The narrow waterway typically handles about 20 million barrels of oil shipments each day and nearly 20 per cent of global liquefied natural gas trade.
The closure has disrupted shipping traffic across the Gulf and heightened concerns about global energy supply stability as the conflict continues to intensify.
- PTC NEWS
