Netanyahu With Coffee: Deepfake or Real?

A viral café video of Benjamin Netanyahu, posted on his official X account amid death rumours, has sparked intense debate online, with some viewing it as proof he is alive while others claim the clip is AI-generated. We geolocated the coffee shop to Sataf Bakery in Jerusalem, and AI detection tools flag a high probability of deepfake. This report explores the viral claims and AI detection results.

Amid rumours of death after Iran’s retaliation attacks on Tel Aviv, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s official X account shared a video of him casually having coffee and addressing the rumours about his death. The video has sparked a split opinion among social media users, with many labelling it as a deepfake and highlighting potential inconsistencies within it. Additionally, the social media platform X’s in-house AI Grok’s remark that the video is a deepfake has fuelled Benjamin Netanyahu’s death rumours.

This Offbeat Concerns report examines the discussion surrounding this video and presents the views of existing AI detection tools on the authenticity of the visuals.

Benjamin Netanyahu in a cafe

On March 15, Benjamin Netanyahu’s official X (formerly Twitter) account shared a video with a Hebrew caption that translates to,“They say I’m what? Watch >>.” The video features Benjamin Netanyahu in a cafe casually having a coffee.

As of March 16, the post garnered 6,14,00,000 views, 1,34,000 likes, and 39,000 reposts.

Netizens responded to the video, suggesting that the footage is fake. A user, Freed Ninja, alleged several discrepancies, such as unusual movement of Benjamin Netanyahu’s jacket pocket, coffee defying gravity, and also pointed out that a customer with a mask behind the counter looks suspicious.

Another user responded that even after a sip, the level of coffee in the cup remains the same.

Denying the deepfake claims, a user stated, “There are literally no signs of AI (and the video is too long for AI to be reliably generated) except that he did not actually drink it, which, well, you can do without AI.”

How did we geolocate the cafe ?

We had a closer look at the video and found that the front office workers in the video wearing aprons with a logo that reads, ”SATAF.”

Taking this as a cue, we geolocated the video to Sataf, a bakery and cake shop on the Israel National Trail, Jerusalem, Israel.

An analysis of the shop’s interior photo alongside the video keyframes verified the location.

OBC noticed that on March 15, Sataf Bakery posted pictures on their official Instagram account featuring Benjamin Netanyahu holding the coffee. The Hebrew caption of the post translates to, ”We were very happy to host the Prime Minister and his staff at the headquarters today! They knew which bakery to visit 💚 And most importantly, may beautiful and peaceful days come! Sending a big hug from here to the men and women of the reserve forces (and their families), the IDF, and the security and rescue forces.”

What do AI detection results say?

We analyzed the video using the AI detection tool Hive Moderation, and the result indicates a probability of 66.2% that the video is AI-generated.

The University at Buffalo’s DeepFake-O-Meter platform indicated that there is a 99.9% probability that the video is generated by AI.

The rumours of Benjamin Netanyahu’s death are at their peak on social media platforms, but official statements from the Israeli PM’s office state otherwise.