WASHINGTON — Benjamin Netanyahu and U.S. Ambassador Mike Huckabee shared a lighthearted exchange during a meeting, joking about rumors surrounding Netanyahu’s safety.

Crossing names off the list is good – doing it shoulder to shoulder with our American friends is even better.

Good to see Ambassador @GovMikeHuckabee. Always a pleasure.

🇮🇱🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/FZrZN03IZI

— Benjamin Netanyahu – בנימין נתניהו (@netanyahu) March 17, 2026

Huckabee said the president had sent him to see if Netanyahu was “okay,” an apparent reference to unverified speculation circulating online. Netanyahu replied, “Yes, I am alive,” then raised his hand and added that he could “shake hands with five fingers,” a nod to rumors claiming he had been injured.

He then pulled a card from his pocket, telling Huckabee, “I have to show you this,” while cautioning him not to read it. Netanyahu said it was a list of names he needed to “cross off,” adding that he had crossed off another two — an apparent reference to Iranian officials reportedly killed in Israeli strikes earlier in the day.

Huckabee joked that he hoped he was not on the list. Netanyahu responded that he was “on the good list.”