Satirical cartoons in the Arab press lampoon Iran for delaying attack on Israel

Newspapers in the region mock Tehran’s unfulfilled threats, deride its aggressive posturing; others ridicule Arab countries that are expected to support Israel in case of an attack

By Gianluca Pacchiani 14 August 2024, 11:41 pm Edit

Gianluca Pacchiani is the Arab affairs reporter for The Times of Israel

Syrian-Kurdish cartoonist Yaser Ahmad, who works for the London-based Al-Arab paper, shows Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei about to light a firework rocket with a ridiculously long wick wrapped around two coils, under the caption “The Iranian response,” indicating that it may be a long time coming, August 9, 2024. (screenshot, used in accordance with Clause 27a of the Copyright Law)
Syrian-Kurdish cartoonist Yaser Ahmad, who works for the London-based Al-Arab paper, shows Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei about to light a firework rocket with a ridiculously long wick wrapped around two coils, under the caption “The Iranian response,” indicating that it may be a long time coming, August 9, 2024. (screenshot, used in accordance with Clause 27a of the Copyright Law)

As Israelis wait in uncertainty and trepidation for an Iranian attack that may or may not materialize in retaliation for the assassination of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh, some media outlets in the Arab world have begun to ridicule Tehran’s perceived empty threats and grandstanding.

Idit Bar, an Arabic teacher, lecturer and avid collector of Arab caricatures — who since the war with Hamas has been a face of Arabic-language public advocacy — shared some of the recent illustrations that have appeared in Arab newspapers mocking Iranian leaders and discussed them with The Times of Israel.

The Algerian paper Arwas published a cartoon showing an Iranian cleric throwing a paper airplane, with a caption reading, “Everyone is waiting for the Iranian reaction after the assassination of the martyr Haniyeh.” This image aims to portray Iran as a “paper tiger,” Bar noted.

Celebrity Jordanian illustrator Emad Hajjaj, who regularly publishes his caricatures in the Qatari-owned Al-Araby Al-Jadeed, has drawn two cartoons on the subject of a possible Iranian attack.

In the first, an Iranian tank carries a gigantic missile launcher, which only ends up ejecting a small drone carrying a miniature rocket.

Hajjaj’s second cartoon, titled “Joint Arab Deterrence,” references the regional coalition created on April 13 to intercept many of the projectiles fired from Iran in its first direct attack on Israel. The coalition is expected to be activated again in the event of a renewed assault.

The cartoon shows two Arab men, wearing comical head coverings, attempting to catch an Iranian missile with a fishing net as it crosses over their territory towards Israel. This illustration criticizes Arab regimes that defend Israel instead of joining Iran in its aggression, Bar explained.

Jordan in particular came under fire for intercepting dozens of drones launched by Iran toward Israel on the night of April 13, surprising many Israelis with its support. The Hashemite Kingdom has been a source of relentless criticism of Israel’s war against Hamas and has faced intense domestic pressure to sever diplomatic relations with Jerusalem.

Cartoonist Hajjaj is known as a vociferous critic of Israel, and his caricatures often carry antisemitic overtones, Bar pointed out.

Another frequent object of Hajjaj’s mockery is Arab countries that have normalized relations with Israel. In August 2020, he was arrested by Jordanian state security for a caricature satirizing UAE leader Mohammed Bin Zayed after the signing of the Abraham Accords. Thanks to his popularity and a public campaign for his release, however, Hajjaj was freed after a few days.

Syrian-Kurdish cartoonist Yaser Ahmad also published cartoons mocking Iranian indecisiveness. Ahmad, who works for the London-based Al-Arab paper, is not known for being an extreme Israel-hater compared to many of his Arab colleagues, Bar said.

In one of his latest cartoons, an Iranian leader is depicted checking his pocket watch, with the caption, “The zero hour is broken,” a play on words on the Arabic word sa’ah, which means both “hour” and “watch.”

In another drawing, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei is about to light a firework rocket with a ridiculously long wick wrapped around two coils, under the caption “The Iranian response,” indicating that it may be a long time coming.

As for Hezbollah, the other regional actor that threatens to strike Israel at an unspecified time in the future, Bar shared one of her favorite cartoons.

The caricature from 2020 depicts Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah during one of his famed speeches, as he shouts into a shoe turned upside down.

Showing someone the bottom of a shoe is considered highly offensive in Arab and Muslim cultures, as evidenced by images of anti-Israel protesters marching on the Israeli flag in various Middle Eastern countries.

The caricature originated in Iraq and went viral among the Iranian opposition, Bar said, as discontent has been growing in the Islamic Republic over the regime’s waste of resources on its foreign proxies.

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