Israeli Social Media Star Sparks International Incident With Joke Tweet

A humorous tweet by Israeli social media personality Yevgeny Zarubinski following the Israeli national football team's loss to Ireland has unexpectedly caused an international stir. Zarubinski, who is known for his satirical content and is associated with the HKN news group, posted in Hebrew after Israel's 3-0 defeat: "Alright, it's time to activate the pagers we scattered in Ireland."

The tweet, translated automatically by the X platform, was misinterpreted by some users, including those outside of Ireland, as a threat from an official Israeli entity. Zarubinski's humorous profile description, which lists him as head of the "HKN Department" in the "Israeli Ministry of Digital Defense" and mentions "strategic communication, memes, and regional confusion," likely contributed to the misunderstanding.

One user claimed the tweet indicated a senior Israeli Ministry of Defense official calling for the activation of pagers in Ireland, drawing a parallel to events in Lebanon in 2024. Another user commented, "Imagine an Irish government employee tweeting last night that they want to injure and kill Israelis because of a football match result." Other reactions identified Zarubinski as a senior Israeli official, with some suggesting he was from the Foreign Ministry and demanding answers from Foreign Minister G Gideon Sa'ar.

Zarubinski, continuing the joke, responded to the widespread reactions and shares, which he noted included "incitement against Israel, antisemitism, and more." He reiterated his call to use the pagers, stating, "We didn't just invest several years and millions of dollars in this for nothing."