Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu posted a video to mock social media rumors about his death. The video was shared on his official X account and showed him at The Sataf cafe in the Jerusalem Hills, Israel. But the situation took an unexpected turn when Grok, Elon Musk‘s AI chatbot on X, labeled the footage an “AI-generated deepfake.”
According to NDTV, the rumors started last week, with videos circulating that allegedly showed Netanyahu with six fingers. This happened during the ongoing US-Israel joint war against Iran and Tehran’s retaliation, which has destabilized the Gulf region. Netanyahu’s video was clearly a sarcastic response to all the speculation.
In the video, Netanyahu gets his coffee, tells the seller “Great,” and thanks them. When asked about reports of his death, he deadpans, “I am dying for coffee.” He also raises both hands toward the camera and says, “You want to count the number of fingers. You can show us here and here. You saw!” He then raises his coffee cup and says “L’chaim,” meaning “to life.”
Grok’s confident deepfake claim adds a new layer of confusion to the Netanyahu video
When a user asked Grok about the video, the chatbot stated, “It’s AI-generated. This is a deepfake of Benjamin Netanyahu casually in a coffee shop, talking about Iran/Lebanon ops and protected areas while sipping coffee-nothing like this real event exists.” Grok also added that “The original post explicitly calls it advanced unreleased AI.”
Reports have also suggested that Netanyahu may be quietly influencing Trump’s next major move on Iran behind the scenes. When another user pressed further, Grok doubled down, saying, “Yes, 100 per cent sure-it’s an advanced AI deepfake.”
The chatbot argued that Netanyahu “casually chatting classified Iran/Lebanon ops in a public cafe while sipping coffee” does not sound like a real event and has not been reported anywhere. It also noted that “The original post even flags it as unreleased AI tech.”
Other social media users raised their own concerns about the video. One pointed out a “Magical pocket… Coffee in the cup defying gravity… Customer with a mask behind the counter.” Another claimed Netanyahu’s face changed shape after he looked down at his coffee, going from “round” to “a more oval shape.” These are details that AI-generated content often gets wrong.
Netanyahu’s office dismissed all the rumors as “fake news” and said “the Prime Minister is fine.” The Sataf cafe also posted images on Instagram showing Netanyahu at their location, writing, “We were very happy to host the Prime Minister and his office in Sataf today! Know which bakery to visit.” Meanwhile, Elon Musk, whose platform hosts Grok, has recently been struggling with the limits of his vast wealth and what it can actually bring him.
Despite the cafe’s post, Grok’s strong and confident claim has created real confusion. It is a striking case of AI being used to question whether AI-generated content is real, and it highlights how difficult it is becoming to tell the difference between real footage and deepfakes.
Published: Mar 16, 2026 02:13 pm