Israel criticises British defence secretary using clown emoji in online post

Israel's foreign ministry has criticised British Defence Secretary John Healey using a clown emoji after he said Iran's strikes last year were "proportionate" while criticising its attacks on the Gulf this year.

The foreign ministry's official X account on Saturday posted a 14-second clip of Healey speaking to Sky News at the UK's Royal Air Force Akrotiri base in Cyprus earlier this week.

In the interview, the British defence secretary had said: "We're now in a position to judge better the nature of the Iranian response to the strikes. We can see they're increasingly indiscriminate, they're rising, they're widespread, they're uncontrolled."

In the short clip posted by the Israeli foreign ministry, Healey remarked: "What is significant about this Iranian response is it's different to last year. Last year, it was proportionate; it was targeted only at military installations. This year, in the first 24 hours, we saw them strike 10 different countries."

The Israeli foreign ministry used a clown emoji to criticise Healey, posting: "British Secretary of Defense🤡 adopts the Iranian regime’s definition of 'military installations': Hospitals, residential areas and universities. 

"Consequently, all Israeli casualties were civilians!

"The Secretary implies that targeting Israeli civilians is 'proportional'."

British Secretary of Defense🤡 adopts the Iranian regime’s definition of ״military installations״: Hospitals, residential areas and universities.
Consequently, all Israeli casualties were civilians!
The Secretary implies that targeting Israeli civilians is ״proportional״. pic.twitter.com/jCYdJX8QbS

— Israel Foreign Ministry (@IsraelMFA) March 7, 2026

In the conflict last June, which began with a surprise Israeli attack on Iranian territory, Iranian missile salvos killed at least 28 Israeli civilians, according to the Israeli health ministry.

Israeli attacks killed at least 610 Iranian civilians, Iran's health ministry said.

Middle East Eye has contacted the UK's Ministry of Defence for comment.

Series of diplomatic spats

This marks the latest in a series of diplomatic spats between historical allies Britain and Israel.

Last June, the UK sanctioned two Israeli ministers, National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, over "their repeated incitement of violence against Palestinian communities" in Gaza and the West Bank.

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In October, Israeli Diaspora Minister Amichai Chikli disparagingly called the British prime minister "Palestinian" after Keir Starmer criticised him for inviting far-right activist and convicted criminal Tommy Robinson to Israel.

The Israeli foreign ministry's attack on Britain's defence minister comes as tensions rise between London and Washington. The rift followed Britain’s initial refusal to allow the US to use the joint UK-US base on Diego Garcia in the Chagos Archipelago to launch strikes on Iran.

The US is now using British military bases for the purpose of targeting Iranian missile sites.

B-1 Lancer bombers took off from Gloucestershire in southern England to carry out strikes over the weekend.

US President Donald Trump has nonetheless repeatedly attacked Starmer, calling him "unhelpful" and "no Winston Churchill".

On Saturday evening, Trump accused Starmer of seeking to "join wars after we've already won".