For Mahsa Amini, in the Name of the Rainbow God’: Israeli Pilot’s Bomb Inscription Sparks Outcry

According to Saed News, the decision by an Israeli pilot to scrawl “For Mahsa Amini, in the Name of the Rainbow God!” on munitions slated for Iran has provoked sharp criticism and renewed scrutiny of how combatants frame their actions. The photograph, first circulated on Twitter by Joe Truzman of the Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD), depicts several bombs bearing the vivid inscription alongside traditional military markings.

Mahsa Amini, whose 2022 death in Iranian custody triggered widespread protests, has become an emblem of resistance and human rights advocacy. By linking her name to an act of aerial bombardment, critics argue, the message risks co-opting her legacy in a context far removed from her struggle for domestic reform. “Invoking a symbol of oppressed voices to justify violence undermines the very principles she represented,” says Dr. Leila Mousavi, a Middle East policy expert at King’s College London.

Proponents within certain Israeli circles, however, maintain that the inscription reflects solidarity with Iranian dissidents, framing the action as psychological warfare rather than a literal endorsement of violence against civilians. Yet international law specialists caution that such messaging may blur the line between legitimate military targets and civilian symbolism, potentially contravening the principles of distinction under the laws of armed conflict.

As tensions between Israel and Iran intensify, this episode underscores the power—and peril—of wartime rhetoric. Whether intended as propaganda or homage, dedicating bombs in Mahsa Amini’s name has already sparked protests from rights groups and posed difficult questions about the uses of iconography in modern warfare.