The Iranian Revolutionary Guard released footage showing a march (of a Shahed drone) carrying an image of the young Spanish football player Lamine Yamala raising the Palestinian flag, alongside a slogan saying: “Supporters of Palestine and Iran are the champions of the world.”.
The images broadcast by Iranian media such as “Hamshahri Online” on July 21, 2026, were part of what the Revolutionary Guard described as “the 24th wave of Victory Operation 2,” in which they claimed to have launched a mix of ballistic and cruise missiles and drones towards “hostile sites.”.
The paradox that sparked extensive discussion on social media and in some Arabic news programs is that these drones and missiles were not directed at Israel, which occupies parts of Palestinian land, but rather targeted sites within Arab and Gulf Islamic countries.
The image used originally dates back to May 2026, when Yamala raised the Palestinian flag during FC Barcelona’s celebrations of winning the Spanish league, in a real scene that caused political controversy at the time. As for the circulated images after Spain’s victory in the 2026 World Cup showing Yamala wrapped in the Palestinian flag with the trophy, they were found to be modified by artificial intelligence.
This symbolic use comes in the context of a propaganda war accompanying the escalation between Iran and the United States, where the Iranian side tries to link its military operations to support for the Palestinian cause, despite the actual targets being located within Arab territories. Political analysts described the move as an attempt to exploit the popularity of the young player and the Palestinian symbol in a media message, while others questioned the effectiveness of targeting Muslim Gulf countries under the guise of “defending Palestine.”.
So far, there has been no official comment from Lamine Yamala or the Spanish national team regarding the use of his image, while regional tensions continue amid mutual allegations of attacks between Tehran and Washington.
