Israeli embassy in US posts meme of Keanu Reeves in The Matrix in response to Iran saying ‘time is up’
Israel’s diplomatic mission to the US has posted a taunting meme depicting The Matrix’s Keanu Reeves in response to an Iranian tweet warning that “time is running out.”
The online exchange on Wednesday took place as real-world tensions reached new heights in the Middle East, with President Joe Biden visiting Israel on an urgent mission to prevent the war between Israel and Hamas from spiraling into a broader regional conflict.
The war that began on October 7 with an unprecedented Hamas attack on Israel has left more than 1,400 Israelis dead, while at least 199 others, including children, were kidnapped and held hostage in Gaza.
The Hamas-led Health Ministry in Gaza said on Wednesday that 3,478 Palestinians have been killed and more than 12,000 injured in airstrikes over the past 11 days, with the number of casualties expected to rise as Israel prepares for a possible ground attack.
Iran, a major supporter of Hamas, celebrated the group’s brutal attack on Israel, including with gloating on the social media platform against Israelis.
Israel’s diplomatic mission to the US posted a taunting meme depicting The Matrix’s Keanu Reeves in response to an Iranian tweet in Hebrew warning that time is running out.
The online exchange on Wednesday came as real-world tensions in the Middle East reached new heights, with President Joe Biden visiting Israel on an emergency diplomatic mission
The Israeli embassy in the US responded with the taunting meme featuring Reeves’ character Neo from the 1999 film The Matrix.
The animated image shows Neo moving with a beckoning gesture, which took place during the film’s subway fight scene with the villain Agent Smith.
That battle ended with Neo’s retreat, although he defeated Smith at the end of the film.
Iran supplies weapons and support to Hamas, as well as to the militant group Hezbollah in Lebanon, which has exchanged rocket salvos with Israel in recent days. Both Hamas and Hezbollah have been designated as terrorist groups by the US and the EU.
The online taunts between Israel and Iran came as the situation in the real world remained deadly serious.
Biden arrived in Israel on Wednesday in a show of support for the key US ally and in an effort to prevent the violence from spreading further.
But a planned peace summit in Jordan between Biden and leaders from Israel and the Palestinian territories was canceled after an explosion at a Gaza hospital left hundreds dead on Tuesday evening.
Jordan’s King Abdullah was due to host the quadruple summit but blamed Israel for the deadly hospital blast and angrily broke off the talks.
Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah is seen in a file photo. Iran is a major supporter of Hamas, as well as the militant group Hezbollah in Lebanon
The scene of destruction at Al Ahli Hospital after an explosion in Gaza City on Tuesday. Israel and Hamas terrorists have blamed each other for the explosion
People inspect the area of ββAl-Ahli Hospital where hundreds of Palestinians were killed in an explosion that Israeli and Palestinian officials blamed on each other on Wednesday
Children injured during the hospital strike cry Tuesday as they receive treatment at Nasser Hospital in Khan Yunis in southern Gaza Strip
Israelis and Palestinians both blame each other for the explosion.
Israel has reportedly released intercepted audio communications showing Hamas fighters attributing the attack to a failed rocket launched by Islamic Jihad, an allied militant group in Gaza.
Biden has publicly supported Israel’s attribution of responsibility for the hospital explosion, saying the Pentagon showed him evidence that Israeli forces were not behind it.
Biden, along with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, said: “I was deeply saddened and outraged by the Gaza hospital explosion yesterday, and from what I have seen it appears that it was done by the other team, and not by the other team. You.’
βBut there are a lot of people who aren’t sure, so we have a lot, we have a lot of things to overcome,β Biden added.
‘The world is watching. Israel shares the same values ββas the United States and other democracies, and they are looking forward to what we will do.β
The Hamas-led Health Ministry in Gaza lowered the death toll from an explosion at a hospital in Gaza City from 500 to 471 on Wednesday, but did not elaborate on how authorities reached that figure, according to the Associated Press.
Employees at al-Ahli hospital said they could not estimate the toll because the blast had ripped apart so many bodies.
A Lebanese protester is seen as a fire rages behind the security gate of the US Embassy after clashes with security forces in Beirut on October 18
Protesters throw stones at riot police during a demonstration in solidarity with the Palestinian people in Gaza, near the US embassy in Aukar, a northern suburb of Beirut
Hospital director Suhaila Tarazi and Episcopal Church officials who run al-Ahli could only estimate the toll was “in the hundreds” and did not provide an exact number.
The hospital explosion sparked new anger and protests across the Middle East.
Protesters swarmed the US embassy in Beirut, Lebanon, setting fires and hurling fireworks during clashes with the Lebanese army.
All non-essential State Department personnel have been told to leave the region, and a level four travel advisory has been issued for all Americans advising against travel to Lebanon.
Thousands of students also gathered at Egyptian universities to condemn Israeli airstrikes on Gaza.
The Gaza City hospital explosion also sparked protests in Morocco, Tunisia and Algeria.