'If He is Still Alive...': Iran Vows to Hunt Down Israeli PM Netanyahu, Says 'Will Kill Him With Full Force'

New Delhi: Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) has vowed to pursue Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, according to a report by Iran’s state-run news agency IRNA.

In a statement cited by IRNA, the Revolutionary Guards said they would continue targeting the Israeli leader.

“If the criminal Zionist prime minister is still alive, we will continue to pursue and kill him with full force,” the IRGC said. The threat comes amid escalating tensions in the region following the ongoing conflict between Iran and Israel.

Israeli PM’s Office Dismisses Rumours

The statement from the IRGC comes amid the controversy suggesting that Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu had been killed or injured in an Iranian strike. 

However, the Israeli Prime Minister’s Office dismissed viral claims circulating on social media. 

Responding to the rumours, the Prime Minister’s Office said the reports were false and confirmed that Netanyahu is safe.

“These are fake news; the Prime Minister is fine,” the office said in a response to Turkey’s Anadolu Agency regarding the circulating claims.

‘Six Finger’ Video Controversy 

The speculation started when a video address by Netanyahu on March 13 sparked a “six-finger controversy", as in one frame of the video, viewers claimed the Israeli leader appeared to have six fingers on his right hand, leading to allegations that the video might have been generated using artificial intelligence.

However, Grok, the AI chatbot on X, clarified that the extra finger appearance was a visual illusion and not evidence of a manipulated or deepfake video.

Additional speculation emerged when Netanyahu’s son, Yair Netanyahu, did not post on X for several days. Some social media users interpreted the inactivity as a sign of a possible family tragedy.

However, there is no evidence linking the absence of posts to any harm involving the Israeli Prime Minister.

Iran Threatens to Widen War

Meanwhile, Gulf states reported new missile and drone attacks Sunday after Tehran threatened to widen its campaign as the war in the Middle East entered its third week.

Bahrain, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates warned people that they were working to intercept incoming projectiles, a day after Iran called for the evacuations of three major UAE ports, threatening for the first time a neighboring country’s non-U.S. assets.

Iran earlier accused the United States of using “ports, docks and hideouts” in the UAE to launch strikes on Kharg Island, home to the main terminal handling Iran’s oil exports, without providing evidence. The UAE and other Gulf countries that accommodate U.S. bases have refuted the use of their land or airspace for military operations against Iran.

Iranian strikes have killed at least a dozen civilians in Gulf states, most of them migrant workers. In Iran, the International Committee for the Red Cross said more than 1,300 people have been killed so far, while in Israel, 12 people were reported dead by Iranian missile fire, according to the national rescue service Magen David Adom.

At least 13 members of the U.S. military have been killed since the war began, including seven in combat and six who died in a plane crash over Iraq last week.

U.S. President Donald Trump said he hoped allies would send warships to secure the Strait of Hormuz.

Further, Lebanon’s humanitarian crisis deepened, with over 820 people killed, according to the Ministry of Health, and 850,000 displaced as Israel launched waves of strikes and sent additional troops into southern Lebanon.

War Began With February 28 Strikes

The conflict began on February 28, when Israel launched what it described as “preventive strikes” against Iranian targets in an operation called “Roar of the Lion”.

The attacks targeted several locations in Tehran, including areas near the offices of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was later confirmed to have been killed in the strikes.

One of the opening attacks reportedly struck a girls’ school in Minab, resulting in dozens of deaths and drawing criticism from the United Nations and human rights groups.

Iran Retaliates With Missiles and Drones

In response, Iran launched multiple waves of missile and drone strikes targeting U.S. military bases and allied nations across the Middle East.

Several Gulf nations, including Bahrain, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait and Jordan, reported intercepting incoming projectiles.

Explosions were also reported near the U.S. Navy’s Fifth Fleet headquarters in Bahrain, while other strikes targeted infrastructure across the region.

Regional leaders and international organisations have expressed concern about the widening conflict.

The Arab League described Iran’s war strategy as “reckless”, while several countries reported intercepting Iranian missiles in areas without U.S. military bases.

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