'An advertisement warning that U.S. fighter jets were ready to respond to provocations showed up on a dating app in Lebanon.
The warning appeared online last week in Arabic beneath pictures of U.S. warplanes: “Do not take up arms against the United States or its partners,” it said, noting that America “will protect its partners in the face of threats from the Iranian regime and its proxies.”
And to underscore the message: Central Command is “fully prepared” and ready to employ F-16 and A-10 aircraft “currently in the region.”
Séamus Malekafzali, a freelance journalist based in Lebanon, encountered Tinder advertisements purportedly from U.S. Central Command warning against joining Iranian-backed militants on Aug. 22. This ad was linked to a Central Command post on X, Malekafzali said.