Arab Commentators On Social Media: Iran's Drone Attack On Israel Was Planned And Agreed-Upon By Iran, Israel, And The U.S.

Iran's April 14, 2024 direct attack on Israel, which included the launch of hundreds of drones and dozens of cruise missiles and ballistic missiles, sparked many responses on social media in the Arab world. Journalists and commentators, especially in the Gulf, claimed that the attack had been agreed-upon in advance by Iran, Israel, and the U.S., citing as evidence the minimal damage and casualties caused despite the scope of the attack. The writers mocked Iran and called its attack a "show" and a "farce" designed to save face.

The following is a sampling of these posts:

Saudi Writers: This Was A "Farce," A "Deception" And "A Storm In A Teacup"

Saudi researcher and security consultant Mohamad Al-Hadla, who is also a columnist for the Saudi daily Al-Jazirah,  posted on his X account: "The show ended when Iran said that its response was over, after [the launching of] these silly drones and missiles that never reached Israel and were nothing but a farce agreed-upon in advance, aimed at preserving Persian honor, which Israel tramples every day. [Iran] is unable to confront [Israel] directly because it is much too cowardly to operate against Israel without a [prior] agreement between them. Its might exists only to be showcased to the Arabs..."[1]

Saudi journalist Saleh Al-Fahid posted: "Iran's 'planned and agreed-upon' response has concluded. Israel has begun to reap the benefits of this attack: the U.S. is rallying around  Israel, with military and political support for it and a deep commitment to its security. This comes after the U.S. administration and the European capitals took a hard line with the Israeli government and threatened to stop supplying it with offensive weapons."[2]

Khalid Aal Saud, a Saudi academic, wrote: "The curtain has closed on the farcical war between Iran and Israel. It is a very amusing show that should become a children's play."

Saudi journalist Fahd Deepaji mocked the Iranian response in a series of posts. One post read: "Iran announced that the attack was over before it began," and another added: "[This was] a storm in a teacup. That is: some pestering and shouting [by Iran], that resulted in no casualties or damage." Deepaji also posted an image captioned "The Reality," showing men in turbans sitting with men in kippahs, surrounded by various demonic figures, against the backdrop of a combined Iranian-Israeli flag, hinting at cooperation between Israel and Iran.[3]

Saudi writer Dr. Muhammad Al-Quaiz wrote: "Iran's hilarious response against Israel is nothing more than fireworks, and its [only] victims were in Jordan. The mountain has given birth to a mouse. This should have been worrying, but Netanyahu was not worried at all..."

In another post, he wrote: "Iran's revenge, which included drones and missiles... as agreed upon between Iran, America, and Israel, ended in the injury of an Israeli girl and the death of three Jordanians. This betrayal has several names [signed off] on it, primarily those of the resistance axis and its arms in Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, and Yemen."[4]

Ahmad Al-Fifi, a retired high-ranking officer in the Saudi military, wrote: "Generally, live-fire maneuvers have a 5% strike rate against property and people. However, the destructive war yesterday, which involved a large number of missiles and UAVs, was unprecedented. The losses and damage to property were 0% - [while], in Gaza, a child was killed by airdropped aid..."[5]

Kuwaiti Writers: An Iranian Show, With America's Knowledge

Similar criticism was voiced by Kuwaiti writers. Ahmad Al-Jarallah, the editor of the Kuwaiti daily Al-Siyassa, wrote on X: "All of Iran's missiles and drones, and all the missiles of Satan's party [i.e. Hizbullah, which literally means 'God's Party'], which were celebrated and launched at Israel, were [launched] with its knowledge and the knowledge of the U.S., and they all landed outside Israel's territory, on Arab lands... Shame, the missiles fired by Iran and by its proxies in the Arab capitals it is occupying didn't even strike a chicken coop in Israel..."[6]

Kuwaiti online influencer Meshal Al-Nami wrote on his X account at 11:30 PM on April 13, several hours before the missiles and drones reached Israel: "The Iranian attack against Israel is ridiculous. Iran launched drones and then [immediately] announced it had done so, in order to allow Israel to intercept them, since they would take eight hours to reach Israel." Al-Nami added a laughing emoji to the post.[7]

In a later post, approximately one hour before the UAVs reached Israel, Al-Nami wrote: "Israel announced that it is preparing to respond to the Iranian strike approximately an hour before it began, and said it would close its airspace at 1:00 AM. This means that Israel knows when the show of the Iranian attack began [and] when the missiles and drones will reach its territory."[8]

At 2:00 AM, when the UAVs and missiles reached Israel, Al-Nami wrote: "That's it, Iran's show is over, go to bed..."[9]

Algerian Journalist: Since When Do You Give The Enemy Advance Notice Of The Time And Targets Of An Attack? And How Is It Possible That Not Even A Cat Or A Stray Dog Was Killed?

In a series of posts on his X account, Algerian journalist Anwar Malek, who resides in France, wrote that the Iranian attack was coordinated with the U.S. and Israel. He wrote: "Whoever believes that the ayatollahs [of Iran] are hostile to the enemies of the Arabs [such as Israel] and support their just causes [such as the Palestinian cause], that they will risk waging war in order to [remove] oppression from an Arab, or that they care about the security of Sunni countries and are willing ensure their stability – needs to see a psychiatrist about his delusions..."[10]

In another post he wrote: "What took place between Tel Aviv and Tehran was nothing more than a scuffle between two allies under the patronage of a bigger ally, which is the U.S., with the aim of ridiculing the gullible old Arabs whose brothers are being wiped out in Palestine, Syria, Iraq and in Lebanon because of the destructive plan of [Iran's] ayatollahs...

"Why did Iran not use the long-range ballistic missiles that the [Islamic] Revolutionary Guards [Corps] claims to possess and claims are capable of demolishing the depths of Tel Aviv, just as Israel demolished the [Iranian] consulate in the heart of Damascus and assassinated the most important general in the Al Qods Force?! ...Seriously, what kind of a response is this, when the entire world knew in advance the time [of the attack], the type of weapons being used, the route of the drones and their targets, and when, hours before the start [of the attack], there was already breaking news about it on [television] screens? Oh, you gullible ones, wake up, you are just pawns in a largescale performance..."[11]

Malek also wondered how it can be that "Iran attacked Israel with 185 drones, 36 cruise missiles, and 110 surface-to-surface missiles, yet all of them were intercepted and not [even] a stray cat or  dog was killed..."[12] Addressing reports that Iran had informed Israel in advance about the launch of the missiles and about the intended targets, Malek wrote: "Dear God, has it ever happened in the world that an entity that wants to attack its enemy... informs it and the entire world in advance  what the targets will be?!!!!!"[13]

Palestinian Journalist: The Iranian Response Was Part Of A Deal

Palestinian journalist Ayman Khaled wrote: "The deal was done... Iran was dragged into responding to the airstrike on [its] consulate [in Damascus] as part of a deal: Attack with drones first, in order to allow the Israeli public take every precaution, [and then] attack empty areas in the Negev..."[14]