Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei called Israel a “cancerous tumor” on Twitter, prompting Israel to clap back with a gif from “Mean Girls.”
On June 3, Khamenei tweeted, “Our stance against Israel is the same stance we have always taken. #Israel is a malignant cancerous tumor in the West Asian region that has to be removed and eradicated: it is possible and it will happen.”
Our stance against Israel is the same stance we have always taken. #Israel is a malignant cancerous tumor in the West Asian region that has to be removed and eradicated: it is possible and it will happen. 7/31/91#GreatReturnMarch
— Khamenei.ir (@khamenei_ir) June 3, 2018
The Israeli embassy in the United States responded with only this:
— Embassy of Israel to the USA | #IsraelUSA75 (@IsraelinUSA) June 4, 2018
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also addressed Khamenei’s tweet.
“Just yesterday, Iran’s leader said again that Israel is a cancer that has to be and will be eradicated,” Netanyahu said. “It’s amazing that in the 21st century, somebody talks about destroying Israel. It means destroying another six million plus Jews. This is what we face.”
Just yesterday, Iran’s leader said again that Israel is a cancer that has to be and will be eradicated. It’s amazing that in the 21st century, somebody talks about destroying Israel. It means destroying another six million plus Jews. This is what we face.
— Benjamin Netanyahu – בנימין נתניהו (@netanyahu) June 4, 2018
Khamenei’s tweet was issued in response to the violence ongoing at the Gaza border, where a well-known female medic was shot and killed by Israeli gunfire. The IDF is investigating the matter.