Israeli Minister's 'Pathetic' Jibe
Itamar Ben Gvir, Israel's Minister of Public Security, renowned for his far-right views, took to the X platform to label Friday's attack on Iran as "pathetic." This brief post, comprising just a single word, quickly caught the attention of the Iranian Tasnim agency and drew sharp criticism from the opposition.
7:17 AM EDT, April 20, 2024
The Israeli minister's post was notably brief, containing the word "דרדל׳ה," which translates to "scarecrow," also meaning "lame."
"Never before has a minister in the security cabinet done such heavy damage to the country’s security, its image and its international status," Lapid expressed on the X platform. He accused Ben Gvir of ridiculing and shaming Israel from Tehran to Washington with a thoughtlessly concise post.
Lapid called for Ben Gvir's immediate resignation, stating, "In an unforgivable one-word tweet, Ben-Gvir managed to mock and shame Israel from Tehran to Washington. Any other prime minister would have thrown him out of the cabinet this morning."
According to an Israeli internet news outlet, an anonymous source reportedly close to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was also critical of Ben Gvir's remarks, dismissing them as "childish and irrelevant to any discussion."
Israel's retaliation
On Friday morning, reports of explosions in two parts of Iran and an attack on an anti-aircraft base in Syria emerged. However, there were no direct accusations from the Iranian authorities or military against Israel. This omission led the Times of Israel to speculate that Tehran might be looking to avoid escalating the conflict further.
Israel-Iran conflict
The friction between Iran and Israel intensified after an attack by the Palestinian terrorist group Hamas on Israel last October, resulting in more than 240 kidnappings. Since then, Iran-backed entities like Hezbollah, Islamic Jihad, the Houthis, and various militias in Iraq and Syria have consistently targeted Israeli interests.
Israel has retaliated against these provocations, most recently by striking the Iranian consulate in Syria, an attack that resulted in the death of senior Iranian commanders, including two generals. Following this, Iran launched a substantial rocket and drone assault on Israel, which was largely thwarted. Now, with the international community urging for calm, the anticipation of Israel's next move looms amidst concerns of an escalation that could spread throughout the Middle East.
