Two days later he shared another short video showing five fingers. U.S. Ambassador Mike Huckabee also posted a clip walking beside Netanyahu; Huckabee said the President asked him to check on the prime minister, and Netanyahu replied, "Yes, Mike. I'm alive." Still, skeptics demanded a formal press conference.
These exchanges unfolded amid the war with Iran that began on February 28 after an attack by President Trump. U.S. Central Command reported roughly 200 U.S. troops injured, mostly minor, and by March 16 thirteen American service members had been killed. The IRGC said it continued searching for Netanyahu and claimed plans to target him, and on March 17 National Counterterrorism Center director Joe Kent resigned, citing opposition to the war; President Trump called Kent "weak."