Billboard in Shiraz Featuring Israeli Soldiers Taken Down

Following the use of an image of Israeli soldiers for a city billboard in Shiraz, several Hezbollah forces in the city took down the billboard, and city officials called for action against those responsible for its design and installation. According to a photo that was first published on social media on Wednesday evening, the urban advertising unit of the Shiraz municipality installed a billboard in Namazi Square to commemorate the anniversary of the Iran-Iraq War, which featured Israeli soldiers instead of Iranian ones. In the original image, alongside three male Israeli soldiers, a female soldier was also standing, but her image was removed in the billboard, which also displayed a poem by Ali Moalem Damghani praising the soldiers of the Iran-Iraq War. After the photo was published and the controversy escalated, the mayor of Shiraz issued a letter to the head of the cultural, social, and sports organization of the municipality, ordering an investigation into the matter. Haidar Eskandarpour wrote to Ibrahim Gashtasbi Rad that the 'error' that occurred in this regard is 'unforgivable' and that 'officials of the cultural organization, security, and executive must identify those responsible for this mistake and take serious action against the causes of the incident.' Eskandarpour also apologized for this incident and requested that the cultural, social, and sports organization of the municipality also apologize to the public and 'quickly address the suspicious roots of this issue.' According to IRNA news agency, the head of the Shiraz City Council also called for an investigation into the installation of this billboard, and according to the council's public relations, Ahmadreza Dastgheib also demanded 'an immediate investigation into the cause of the publication of a fictitious banner with images of Israeli soldiers in the city of Shiraz and decisive action against its perpetrators.' This issue has been heavily criticized by Hezbollah activists on social media and by media outlets affiliated with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. Fars news agency reported: 'The people of Shiraz, whose anger was provoked by the publication of this image, did not wait for the authorities to act and immediately took down the banner in a revolutionary and spontaneous act last night.' Student news agency also referred to the removal of this billboard by individuals identified as 'the people of Shiraz' as a 'spontaneous revolutionary act.' The use of images of Israeli soldiers in this city billboard also drew a reaction from the Twitter account 'Israel in Persian.' This account criticized the removal of the female Israeli soldier from the image and retweeted a humorous tweet from a user named 'Haris' stating that 'Israel has people even in the Foundation for the Preservation of the Sacred Defense Works.' Urban billboards in Iran, especially in Tehran, have occasionally sparked controversy. For instance, in 2013, banners were installed at most intersections and streets in Tehran, which were assessed as aimed at 'discrediting' negotiations between Iran and the U.S. These banners, named 'American Honesty,' conveyed the message that negotiating with the U.S. is futile because Americans 'lack honesty.' In June of this year, shortly before the start of the World Cup in Russia, a billboard was installed in Vali Asr Square in Tehran supporting the Iranian national football team, which did not feature any women, showing men in traditional clothing from various ethnicities in Iran celebrating. Tehran municipality officials identified the Auj Institute, affiliated with the IRGC, as the organizer of this project, and its content faced numerous reactions, including on social media.