Over the past few days, social media erupted with posts speculating that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had been killed in an Iranian strike on his private residence. 

While Netanyahu has since resurfaced, appearing in online videos that dispelled this rumour (still many think this is AI on X), speculation has arisen about whether he went into hiding due to a lack of protection.

The apparent disappearance is specifically because of the claim that Israel is running critically low on missile interceptors, thereby exposing Netanyahu and Israeli citizens at large to a greater military threat.

In fact, Netanyahu himself took note of the rumours, responding by posting on X, where he even holds up his fingers to show that the video is not AI-generated.

Still, in order to understand whether Netanyahu really went into hiding, the rumour of Israel running out of its defence stockpiles needs to be addressed.

According to a report from Semafor, US officials claimed that Israel had alerted Washington that its missile interceptors had run critically low due to the war with Iran.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) were quick to respond, denying such claims. “We prepared for a prolonged conflict. We are monitoring the situation at all times,” an Israeli military official told The Times of Israel.

Despite this denial, some circumstantial evidence appeared to give credibility to those who believed in this view. On the evening of March 15, Israel’s government approved the transfer of ILS 2.6bn ($826mn) from its national budget to the Ministry of Defence for what it termed “urgent and essential defence procurement.”

Naturally, this suggests that some urgent purchases could be made by the Israeli military, which may or may not include missile interceptors used by the Iron Dome, David’s Sling, and the Arrow system, all of which have been in use during the ongoing war.

There is then the decision by the government to increase Israel’s defence budget by ILS 32bn ($10.33bn). Given that the war is estimated to cost Israel ILS 1.5bn ($480mn) in daily military expenditure, such budgetary adjustments are unsurprising.

Still, even given such circumstances, the chance of Israel running critically low on interceptors appears unlikely. On March 6, just a week into the fighting, the US Department of State announced the approval of a proposed $151.8mn military sale to Israel, signalling that Washington would be prepared to supply its ally should the need arise. 

As noted by Iran International, Israeli military officials claimed that the joint strike on Tehran with the US that triggered the war had been planned for months, indicating that the Israelis, together with Washington, would have likely done enough scenario planning to know how the conflict may have proceeded.

With Israel unlikely to be running out of its defensive stockpiles, chances are low that Netanyahu was in hiding. Chances are that he simply sought shelter as missile alerts sounded across the country, in the same way that regular citizens have been doing.