Responding to Khamenei calling the Jewish state a “malignant cancerous tumor… that has to be removed and eradicated,” Israel’s Embassy in the United Stated fired back on Twitter with a mocking gif from the 2004 movie “Mean Girls,” featuring the main character Regina George [actress Rachel McAdams], asking, “Why are you so obsessed with me?”
— Embassy of Israel (@IsraelinUSA) 4 июня 2018 г.
The Twitter spat has gone viral in an instant, with many users noticing the level of digital diplomacy…
Khamenei tweets about #Israel. US Embassy of Israel replies with a #MeanGirls meme. And this is the level of global diplomacy of 2018. pic.twitter.com/ocJUa7VXmM
— Marianna Karakoulaki (@Faloulah) 5 июня 2018 г.
Iran threatens to destroy Israel. Israel fires back with a Mean Girls gif. On social media. This is our 2018. I don’t know wtf is happening. pic.twitter.com/u2ccqDfaFi
— James Rhodes (@JRhodesPianist) 5 июня 2018 г.
In the meantime, there were those who suggested that future wars be waged with the use of gifs and memes, albeit even these will also have certain ramifications…
This is how future wars should be fought. With GIFs and Memes. Sure there will be some collateral damage — i.e., hurt feelings — but sure beats the alternative.
— Vincent Gunter (@BixBeiderbecke) 4 июня 2018 г.
It's the new age of diplomacy. Maybe wars will be won by who has the best gif (or cat video)?
— James Boxall (@JamesGIS) 4 июня 2018 г.
to recap, an embassy of ISRAEL replied to a TWEET by the SUPREME LEADER OF IRAN with a MEAN GIRLS GIF and you're telling me we don't live in a simulation https://t.co/CP2tcWXM71
— Danya (@dxxnya) 5 июня 2018 г.
kim kardashian met with the potus and the embassy of israel is tweeting mean girls gifs, this is the dystopian future they warned us about
— tortellini (@ridIeyrobbie) 4 июня 2018 г.
Some, however, approved of the extraordinary response to Khamenei’s critical tweet, saying it is beyond epic…
The Embassy of Israel just won my love by using Mean Girls meme in Politics pic.twitter.com/7HCsp0nW4U
— The Angry Composer (@NettaChann) 4 июня 2018 г.
Israel is tweeting Mean Girls gifs at the ayatollah and now suddenly I’m wondering if this is actually one of the best timelines.
— Emperor Palpatweet (@ThaBossTweet) 5 июня 2018 г.
LOL, you win the Internet, @IsraelinUSA!
— (((Dan Levy))) (@danlevyesq) 4 июня 2018 г.
This reply is beyond epic.
— Susanne Rosenhouse (@susqhb) 4 июня 2018 г.
…while fellow netizens reminded others that the Mean Girls were the actual bullies in the movie:
They do know that the Mean Girls were the villains, right?
— iLLPhiL sez ABOLISH ICE (@filmatix) 4 июня 2018 г.
the embassy of israel really just used a mean girls meme… funny how they chose regina, a known bully, to represent them
— ً (@diaisyridley) 4 июня 2018 г.
Khamenei has previously labeled Israel as a “barbaric, wolflike & infanticidal regime, which spares no crime” and “has no cure but to be annhiliated [sic].”
READ MORE: Netanyahu: Iran Wants Nuclear Arsenal to Destroy Israel
Tensions between Iran and Israel have further escalated as Tel Aviv has expressed concerns over Tehran’s alleged attempts to establish a military presence in Syria, thereby expanding its influence across the Middle East. Tehran rejected the claims, emphasizing that it has only been sending military advisers to Syria.