Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has not appeared in public or made verified statements for 12 consecutive days, marking his longest absence from the public eye since October 7, according to Israeli media tracking.
The 74-year-old leader's last confirmed public appearance was January 2nd at a Likud party meeting in Tel Aviv. Since then, his office has released only written statements and one controversial video that digital forensics experts are questioning.
SON'S UNPRECEDENTED SILENCE RAISES QUESTIONS
More unusual: Yair Netanyahu, the Prime Minister's politically active son, has posted nothing on X (formerly Twitter) since January 5th. The younger Netanyahu typically posts 30-40 times daily and has maintained consistent social media activity for over three years.
Yair's X account shows 47 posts on January 4th, 23 posts on January 5th, then complete silence. His last post was a retweet about Israeli hostages at 11:47 PM Jerusalem time.
AI VIDEO ALLEGATIONS SURFACE
On January 8th, Netanyahu's office released a 90-second video addressing coalition negotiations. Within hours, Tel Aviv University's AI Detection Lab flagged "significant anomalies" in facial movement patterns and audio synchronization.
Dr. Amit Zohar, who leads the lab, told Channel 12: "The eye movement patterns are inconsistent with natural speech. We've identified at least three segments where lip-sync appears artificially generated."
The Prime Minister's Office dismissed the analysis as "conspiracy theories" but has not provided metadata or raw footage for independent verification.
GOVERNMENT MAINTAINS NORMAL OPERATIONS
Deputy Prime Minister Yariv Levin has assumed public-facing duties typically handled by Netanyahu. Cabinet meetings continue as scheduled, with the Prime Minister's office stating he is "working from secure locations" due to security concerns.
Israeli media report that several Knesset members have privately requested proof-of-life meetings. Likud party whips have not responded to these requests.
SECURITY ESTABLISHMENT REMAINS MUM
The Israel Defense Forces declined comment when asked about Netanyahu's location or condition. Shin Bet, Israel's internal security service, referred all questions to the Prime Minister's Office.
Opposition leader Yair Lapid demanded transparency: "The Israeli people deserve to know their elected leader is alive and capable of governing during wartime."
International allies, including the White House, have not commented on Netanyahu's absence. Scheduled calls with President Biden have been postponed twice since January 6th.
The mystery deepens as Israel faces critical decisions on Gaza operations and hostage negotiations. Netanyahu's prolonged absence from public view remains unexplained.
