3 min readMar 17, 2026 10:35 AM IST
First published on: Mar 17, 2026 at 10:31 AM IST
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu extended holiday greetings to “the brave people of Iran”, expressing hope that the “light will triumph over darkness”, as his country stepped up attacks targeting Iran.
In a video message on X, Netanyahu said, “To the brave people of Iran, I wish you, as I do every year, a happy holiday season, beginning with the Festival of Lights. It signifies the age-old belief of the Iranian people that light will triumph over darkness, that good will triumph over evil,” referencing Chaharshanbe Suri, an ancient Iranian festival of light and fire.
“It signifies the age-old belief of the Iranian people that light will triumph over darkness, that good will triumph over evil,” the Israeli prime minister said.
“This year, this holiday has special meaning… I take this opportunity to wish you a happy Nowruz — a year of freedom. A new beginning of hope to all of you,” he added, referring to the holiday that will be celebrated on Friday.
Netanyahu’s posts draw AI flak
Recently, the Israeli prime minister shared two videos on his social media handle, amid his death rumours, which drew severe backlash online, with netizens alleging the footage to be AI-generated.
In a video he released late on Monday, Netanyahu was seen interacting with civilians, which he captioned as, “Sticking to the guidelines and winning together.”
Earlier, he shared a video on social media where he was seen drinking coffee and addressing the rumours surrounding his death. He ordered coffee at The Sataf cafe in Jerusalem, where he can be heard saying, “Great, thanks” to the seller.
Mocking his death rumours, he said, “I am dying for coffee. I’m dying for my people. How are they behaving? Fantastic. Do you want to count the number of fingers?”
Iran’s Revolutionary Guards vow to ‘pursue and kill’ Netanyahu
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) vowed to “pursue and kill” Benjamin Netanyahu if he is alive, as the group called him a “child-killing criminal.”
“If this child-killing criminal is alive, we will continue to pursue and kill him with full force,” the IRGC had said earlier, news agency AFP reported, citing Sepah news.
Revolutionary Guards issued the warning against Netanyahu after the Israeli military pledged to kill Iran’s new Supreme Leader, Mojtaba Khamenei.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu 
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