Iranian media push conspiracy theory on Netanyahu’s death or injury

The IRGC-linked media outlet pointed to a gap in recent footage, a buildup of security forces and other scraps of public information, but provided no evidence that the Israeli prime minister was killed.

Iran’s Tasnim news agency published a report Monday promoting speculation that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu may have been killed or injured, reigniting the kind of war rumors that have repeatedly spread online during the current conflict between Israel and Iran.

The Persian article presented no evidence of a strike against Netanyahu or any official confirmation of harm. Instead, he pieced together a series of circumstantial points, including the absence of recent video clips of Netanyahu, reports in Hebrew-language media about increased security around his home, the postponement of a reported visit by Jared Kushner and U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff, and a French readout of a call between President Emmanuel Macron and Netanyahu that did not specify the date of the conversation.

Tasnim’s report also relies on an indirect claim attributed to former US intelligence officer Scott Ritter, cited by Russian media, that Iran bombed Netanyahu’s hideout and that his brother was killed. Tasnim herself noted that these speculations had neither been confirmed nor denied.

The work fits into a familiar pattern of Iranian and pro-Iranian information warfare, with actual fragments of public information stitched together into a dramatic narrative, then broadcast as if pointing to a hidden event. Tasnim is widely described as affiliated with or close to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, and the US Treasury lists the media outlet as linked to the IRGC.

Publicly available information undermines the central premise of the rumor. Netanyahu made an official statement released by the Prime Minister’s Office on March 7, and the main Israeli government portal also listed him as having visited an impact site in Beersheba on March 6. Independent reports have also made reference in recent days to his public activity, including a phone call with Macron that was reported by the Élysée and covered by The Jerusalem Post on March 5.

Iranian claims about Netanyahu called ‘fake news’

This is not the first time Iranian allegations about Netanyahu’s whereabouts have surfaced during the war. Earlier in the fighting, the Iranian military said Netanyahu’s fate was “unclear” after an alleged strike was dismissed by Netanyahu’s office as “fake news”, according to Israel Times. Xinhua also reported on March 2 that residents near Netanyahu’s office in Jerusalem saw no signs of a missile impact after similar Iranian claims.

This broader context is important. In rapidly evolving conflicts, the absence of new video, a vague official statement or a change in the schedule of a dignitary visit can quickly become fodder for conspiracy theories. Tasnim’s latest report appears to do just that: it offers innuendo, not evidence.

In Israeli public life, security around senior leaders often changes during times of war, and official communications are regularly released in text form. None of this, alone, constitutes evidence of murder or serious injury. As of Monday evening, no credible public source had confirmed Tasnim’s theory.