US soldiers write anti-'Israel' messages on warplane
Note: AI technology was used to generate this article’s audio.
- Dust scribbles mock US war and 'Israel' ties.
- Analyst cites low morale among deployed troops.
- Parsi calls for an end to the war.
Foreign policy analyst and executive vice president of the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft, Trita Parsi, published an image received from US servicemen stationed in the Persian Gulf showing messages written into the dust coating an aircraft's flap mechanism.
The photo displays handwritten commentary criticizing the mission's intent, featuring phrases such as "be a good guy and do what Israel tells you to", "Operation Epstein Fury", and "Peace Deal #64 Incoming... ALL THIS FOR THE HOLY LAND".
Parsi noted that while he lacks direct historical context to compare these messages with previous conflicts, the open nature of the expression reflects a distinct shift in sentiment among military personnel.
This image was sent to me from the field. These are messages US servicemen in the Persian Gulf have scribbled on the dust of an aircraft flap.
— Trita Parsi (@tparsi) August 16, 2026
"Be a good guy and do what Israel tells you to"
"Operation Epstein Fury"
"Peace deal #64 incoming... ALL THIS FOR THE HOLY LAND"
I… pic.twitter.com/Zc6JwKtNV0
Absence of morale
Relaying a direct account from a serviceman in the field, Parsi highlighted the internal frustration felt by personnel deployed indefinitely in the region.
"What people in the media don't understand when they compare past conflicts to this one, is this operation has no morale behind it," the serviceman told Parsi. "That makes a world of difference to service members deployed to undesirable locations indefinitely."
Drawing his own conclusion from the field report and image, Parsi argued that traditional objectives cannot apply under such operational conditions:
"When a war has no morale behind it, winning means that you simply end it," Parsi wrote. "There is no other 'winning' in such an unjust war."
