New Delhi, March 20 -- Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday appeared to poke fun at rumours about his death on the internet, declaring to the world that he was alive.

In his first public, live appearance since rumours of his death began to circulate on the internet, Netanyahu declared, "First of all I just want to say, I'm alive and you're all witnesses."

"Now that I dispatch this piece of fake news, I wanna give you an update on operation Roaring Lion," he added, before proceeding to provide details on Israel's military operations against Iran, which was struck by Tel Aviv and Washington on 28 February, sparking conflict in the Middle East.

Rumours about Netanyahu's death began after the Israel government's press offi...