The conflict with Iran is certainly not a laughing matter. It’s deadly serious. But Israelis long ago turned to humor to help cope with the numerous threats facing their nation.
And the mounting shadow war between Israel and Iran is no exception.
Earlier this month, Iranian media excitedly reported on the “assassination” of an Israeli Mossad agent in a suicide drone strike in the northern Iraqi city of Erbil.
It was a welcome bit of news in the Islamic Republic after so many high-level Iranian scientists and military commanders had been taken out, presumably by Mossad.
But the response from Israel was all laughter, and the Iranians quickly realized they’d been had.
It’s still unclear where the joke originated, but somehow the Iranian’s got their hands on the name “Asa Flotz” and published that as the name of a suspected Mossad agent who’d been killed in the Erbil strike.
What’s funny is that “Asa Flotz” translates in Hebrew as “he farted.”
Iranian media outlets retracted their reports after discovering the error, and at least one online source from which the Iranians seemingly got their information issued an apology.
Regardless of the wrong names that some well-known channel correspondents gave me about the Erbil drone attack. An Iranian source told me that there was no assassination of any Mossad leader last night. I apologize!
— Intelsky (@Intel_sky) June 9, 2022
Israelis had a field say with this on social media. Among them was a satirical Mossad account on Twitter.
We would like to give our heartfelt condolences to the family of Asa Flotz. Like a waft in the wind, you were gone too soon. We toot our horns in your honour. Let’s all remember his him by saying “smell you later.” https://t.co/rR6UxjUWtA
— Mossad Assassination Commander Asa Flotz (@TheMossadIL) June 9, 2022
