“If he s alive...”- Iran vows to “pursue, kill” Netanyahu amid death rumours

Iran has pledged to "pursue and kill" Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as the conflict in the Middle East continues into its 16th day. The Iranian Revolutionary Guards made this statement while addressing rumors about Netanyahu's status, noting, “If this child-killing criminal is alive, we will continue to pursue and kill him with full force.” Speculation about Netanyahu's whereabouts has been fueled by social media, as he has not been seen publicly in several days. Some users have raised alarms about a video he posted on March 12, which appeared to show him with six fingers on one hand, leading to suspicions that it was altered using artificial intelligence. In that video, the 76-year-old Netanyahu held his first news conference since the U.S. and Israeli airstrikes on Iran began on February 28. During the conference, he issued a thinly veiled threat against new Iranian Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei and defended the actions of the Israeli military. Netanyahu stated, “I will not detail the actions we are taking. We are creating the optimal conditions for toppling the regime, but I won’t deny that I can’t tell you with all certainty that the people of Iran will topple the regime - a regime is toppled from the inside.” American conservative commentator Candace Owens was one of the voices questioning, “Where’s Bibi?”—a nickname for Netanyahu. She posted on X on Saturday, “Why is his office releasing and deleting fake AI videos from him and why is there mass panic at the White House?” Netanyahu’s office has denied reports regarding his death.