Following reports of Israeli strikes on Isfahan in Central Iran amid escalating tensions in the region, Tesla CEO Elon Musk made a veiled comment on April 19, suggesting that rockets should be directed towards the stars rather than at each other. According to ABC News, Israel launched missile strikes against Tehran during the early hours of Friday, as stated by a senior US official.
Musk’s remarks on X coincided with reports of explosions occurring across Iran. “We should send rockets not towards each other, but rather towards the stars,” he stated in his social media post. Musk also proposed an alternative approach for world leaders, suggesting they “email memes to each other and let the public vote on who wins.” He expressed a preference for this method over warfare.
On the same day, Iran activated its air defenses at various locations after loud explosions were heard near an airport and military base in Isfahan, according to Iranian state media. These incidents occurred shortly after Iran allegedly launched over 300 drones and missiles at targets in Israel the previous Saturday, leading to Israeli military retaliation in Gaza. Israel claimed to have intercepted most of the Iranian projectiles. Additionally, Iran accused Israel of bombing its embassy in Syria earlier in the month and vowed to retaliate.
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While Iran has not confirmed the cause of the Isfahan explosions, Syrian media outlets reported Israeli strikes targeting Syrian military radar sites in As-Suwayda and Daraa provinces around the same time. Residents of Mosul and Erbil in Iraq also reported hearing jets flying overhead on Friday.
The reported Israeli retaliation represents a significant escalation in the ongoing tensions between Iran and Israel, both of which have accused each other of destabilizing the region through proxy conflicts and military actions.
Amid these escalating tensions, Elon Musk shared his perspective on his social media platform X, advocating for the redirection of rockets towards space rather than towards adversaries. He also proposed a more lighthearted approach for world leaders to resolve conflicts, suggesting the exchange of memes instead of engaging in warfare.
We should send rockets not at each other, but rather to the stars pic.twitter.com/h4apedUrsU
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) April 19, 2024