Elon Musk being falsely smeared, says Israel's Netanyahu amid 'Nazi salute' row

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has defended Tesla CEO Elon Musk after his back-to-back hand gestures that drew comparisons to a Nazi salute at an event to celebrate Donald Trump's inauguration as the 47th US President sparked a row.

Netanyahu threw his weight behind Musk, and said that the tech billionaire was being "falsely smeared".

"Elon is a great friend of Israel. He visited Israel after the October 7 massacre in which Hamas terrorists committed the worst atrocity against the Jewish people since the Holocaust. He has since repeatedly and forcefully supported Israel’s right to defend itself against genocidal terrorists and regimes who seek to annihilate the one and only Jewish state. I thank him for this," he said.

While addressing a gathering at the Capital One Arena in Washington DC, Elon Musk pumped his arms and screamed "yes" to a rousing crowd of Trump supporters.

"This was no ordinary victory. This was a fork in the road of human civilisation. This one really mattered. Thank you for making it happen. Thank you," he said, after which he slapped his right hand on his chest, while his fingers were spread wide.

He then extended his arm at an upward angle, palm down and fingers together. Musk turned around and made the same gesture also at the crowd behind him.