After a tense morning in which Israeli forces intercepted a large-scale Hezbollah rocket attack planned for the significant Shiite memorial day of Arba’iniyat Al-Hussain, Iran’s proxy claimed in an official statement that all missiles and drones intended for the attack were actually deployed and announced that they had suspended their operations for the day.
Some Hezbollah supporters praised the attack, sharing images of destroyed houses and small fires that broke out as a result of the attack, while others claimed in conspiratorial tones that this was an “implicit coordinated response by the two parties,” adding: “As a first response to Israel, a chicken coop was destroyed, killing several chickens and chicks and breaking thousands of eggs. Damn you scoundrels, you and the Iranian Houthis, you laugh at the Arab peoples, you and the Zionists are two sides of the same coin pursuing one project and one goal.”
رد حزب الله الغالب اليوم أثلج وشفا صدورنا سلام الله عليكم ياسادة ا لمجاهدين، #علي_جنوب_لبنان #علي_لبنان #الجيش_الاسراييلي pic.twitter.com/yKUGhhFcj0
– from Muhammad Ali (@mmdly135395) 25 August 2024
However, the relatively minor impact and damage caused by the attack sparked a wave of online comments from users across the Arab world mocking Hezbollah’s actions, with reports of damaged chicken coops in the Galilee region coming to the fore.
This is not the case #SurveyYou have had the experience of having to settle for the software and products you need to take the time you need I am no longer able to do this It is not easy to do this pic.twitter.com/7RPKKWnndY
– احمد المسيبلي (@Ahmedmosably) 25 August 2024
Ridicule throughout the Arab world
A Kuwaiti user named Fahed uploaded a picture of a dead chicken and cynically added: “Allahu Akbar! Hassan Nasrallah’s response! Hezbollah’s response! The number of injured chickens rose to 27 chickens, 5 of them are seriously injured and have first-degree burns on their wings and beaks after the chicken coop was attacked in response to the killing of Fouad Shukr. He says: ‘Our rockets are accurate!'”
A parody account named after Syrian tyrant Bashar Al-Assad wrote: “A video showing the aftermath of Hezbollah’s response to Israel, which resulted in dozens of Israeli chickens being killed and wounded. Is it reasonable for my ally Hezbollah to respond to the assassination of the party’s top military commander by killing chickens? I will now call my friend Hassan Nasrallah and explain to him that Israel is a murderer and murdered its leaders, not a midwife who gave birth to them, so that he can use this opportunity to slaughter chickens.”
A Syrian user named Khaled added: “The chicken massacre was not an accident, but a strategic plan! The goal? To prevent the opponents and enemies of the ‘resistance’ from gloating after each bombing and saying: ‘They didn’t even hurt a chicken.’ Hezbollah destroyed the chickens and chicks with intent and purpose to deprive us of the pleasure of joking and making fun of their reaction and their rockets!”
Don’t worry me anymore! هدف؟ This means that the name “selection” is not enough, only the designation “you can’t say anything”. You can’t worry that you took the time to take the time صواريخه! pic.twitter.com/sNw1hntzNE
— خالد أبو صلاح – Khaled Abu Salah (@kh4syria) 25 August 2024
A Jordanian commentator added: “Iranian Hezbollah takes revenge for Fouad Shukr and Haniyeh by attacking an Israeli chicken coop and killing several chickens?!!”
Another Saudi user named Sultan commented ironically: “Hezbollah’s retaliatory strikes against Israel following the assassination of Fu’ad Shuker hit a chicken coop where firefighters began putting out the fire. The consequences of the bombing: the death of a rooster, two hens and a young chick.”
A user named Omar compared the high-ranking politician assassinated by Israel to Hezbollah’s response showing the burning chicken coop, while another anonymous user named Adel wrote: “Hezbollah is characterized by its precision in killing chickens.”
Lebanon’s Iran-loyal Hezbollah has targeted northern Israel since October 8, preferring a war of attrition to a full-scale invasion. Its attacks, which have seen it fire thousands of rockets and drones at Israeli communities and bases over the past decade, have left several civilian dead and forced tens of thousands of evacuations across the country.