Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) on Sunday issued a threat to hunt down and kill Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
In a statement published on Sepah News, its official website, the IRGC described Netanyahu as a “child-killing criminal” and vowed to pursue him with force.
“If this criminal, the killer of children, is still alive, we will continue working to hunt him down and kill him with all our strength,” the statement reads.
The threat emerged amid circulating speculation online regarding Netanyahu’s health and whereabouts.
Israel’s prime minister’s office dismissed the rumours, stating that the leader was in good health.
“These are fake news; the Prime Minister is fine,” the office told Anadolu Agency in response to claims circulating on social media that Netanyahu had been killed in retaliation for the strikes.
The speculation grew after a video of Netanyahu circulated online, with some users alleging he appeared to have “six fingers”.
This led to suggestions that the clip may have been generated using artificial intelligence, fuelling further rumours about his condition and location.
The IRGC’s statement comes as the conflict involving Iran, Israel and the United States entered its 16th day.
On the morning of February 28, US and Israeli armed forces launched air strikes on Iranian territory.
In response, Iran’s military fired ballistic missiles and drones towards Israel and also carried out missile and drone attacks on US bases and targets in Bahrain, the UAE, Kuwait, Qatar and Jordan.