Jerusalem, Israel. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu posted a video of himself at a cafe on Sunday after Iranian state media aired rumours that he was dead or injured, which spread online in Iran.
Video posted on Telegram
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. 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.
Verification of location and date
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.
Public appearances and limited media access
Since the U.S. and Israel launched attacks on Iran on February 28, Netanyahu has visited at least two towns hit by Iranian missiles, a hospital, port and military bases, but there was little to no media access, and videos were distributed by his office.
Press conference and safety restrictions
Netanyahu, who rarely gives interviews to Israeli press or holds news conferences, convened his first press conference 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.
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.
What do you think Netanyahu’s video was intended to convey to the public?