Netanyahu posts video in response to Iran 'rumours' that he is dead

In video, taken at cafe in Jerusalem's outskirts, posted on Netanyahu's Telegram account, ​aide asks him about rumours

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu posted a video of himself getting a cup of coffee and chatting with his aide ​on Sunday, after rumours that he was dead or injured ‌were aired by Iranian state media and spread online in Iran.

In the video, taken at a cafe in Jerusalem's outskirts and posted on Netanyahu's Telegram account, ​his aide asks him about the rumours.

NOW - Israel's Netanyahu: "I'm dying for coffee... here, you wanna count my fingers?"pic.twitter.com/fy1c8JMZin

— Disclose.tv (@disclosetv) March 15, 2026

Netanyahu responds with a ​pun on the word dead -- which in Hebrew slang ⁠can be used to describe "being crazy about" someone or something -- as ​he reaches for a cup of coffee.

"I'm crazy about coffee. You know ​what? I’m crazy about my people," Netanyahu tells the aide.

Reuters verified the video's location from file imagery of the cafe, which matched the interiors seen in ​the video. The date was verified from multiple videos and photos ​of Netanyahu's visit posted by the cafe on Sunday.

Since the US and Israel launched ‌attacks ⁠on Iran on February 28, Netanyahu has visited at least two towns hit by Iranian missiles, a hospital, a port and military bases, but there was little to no media access, and videos were distributed ​by his office.

Netanyahu, ​who rarely gives ⁠interviews to the Israeli press or holds news conferences, convened his first since the start of the war via a video link on Thursday, a similar format ​to the ⁠one he used in June during Israel's 12-day war with Iran.

Read: Trump claims US in contact with Iran but doubts Tehran ready for serious talks

Emergency safety restrictions in Israel since the start of the war ban public ⁠gatherings and ​have kept most people at home ​or close to shelters and safe rooms, with schools shut across most of the country.