The Israeli Defense Forces posted a video last night celebrating a “precision strike” on what they claimed was an Iranian Mi-17 helicopter. There’s just one small problem: the helicopter appears to be painted on the ground.
Watch the video yourself—the rotor blades don’t move. Not from the impact, not from wind, not at all. Because you can’t move paint.
😂🇮🇱 Israel uploaded this video claiming they 'destroyed an Iranian military helicopter', but it was a decoy painted on the ground pic.twitter.com/ZWY2BYvMks
— Jackson Hinkle 🇺🇸 (@jacksonhinklle) March 4, 2026
The Iranians, it seems, anticipated U.S. and Israeli aggression and painted decoy helicopters on the tarmac. A Tomahawk cruise missile costs around $2 million. The IDF still posted the footage with pride.
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Incredible trolling aside, the strike is part of a rapidly escalating conflict that’s now killed hundreds and left thousands of Americans stranded across the Middle East.
Iran has vowed the U.S. will “bitterly regret” a torpedo attack by an American submarine that sank an Iranian warship in the Indian Ocean. Tehran is expanding its drone attacks, with blasts reported in Qatar, Abu Dhabi, and Azerbaijan.
A Senate effort to restrict Trump’s ability to carry out further military action against Iran failed Wednesday, blocked 47-53 in the GOP-led chamber. The war powers resolution needed only a simple majority to pass.
The Strait of Hormuz, normally packed with oil tankers and cargo ships, has been nearly emptied by the threat of Iranian attacks. Oil and gas prices are surging.
Thousands of Americans remain stranded in the region amid travel chaos, drawing sharp criticism of the Trump administration’s failure to plan for civilian evacuations. The State Department said a charter flight was returning some citizens home.
The U.S.-Israeli attack that killed Ayatollah Ali Khamenei ended his iron-fisted rule but created a power vacuum Iran hasn’t seen in decades. As ruling clerics scramble to select a new supreme leader, the real power now likely rests with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps—the heavily armed force that propped up Khamenei for years.
The death toll continues to climb. Iranian state media reports more than 940 people have been killed by Israeli and American strikes. Eleven have died in Israel from Iranian retaliation. The U.S. has identified six service members killed.
Two million dollars for a painting on concrete. Allegedly.