Israeli, Iranian leaders duel on Twitter
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Iranian President Hassan Rouhani have taken their fight over Iran's nuclear program to the Twittersphere, with Netanyahu blasting Tuesday's deal in Farsi and Rouhani defending it in English.
Netanyahu's office confirmed that the prime minister has a new Farsi-language Twitter account so he can communicate directly with the Iranian people about Israel, and his concerns about the nuclear agreement Iran struck with the United States and other world powers.
On Tuesday morning, as the deal was being announced, the prime minister's office tweeted in Farsi that "hundreds of billions of dollars the regime will receive from this agreement will be spent on terrorism and arms and not on hospitals and schools."
His office said that tweet and two others from Netanyahu received several thousand responses that included statements of support, questions and uncivil responses.
Not to be out-Twittered, Rouhani tweeted in English: "To our neighbours: Do not be deceived by the propaganda of the warmongering Zionist regime. #Iran & its power will translate into your power"
"We do not seek #WMDs, nor exerting pressure on regional states. We call for greater brotherhood, unity and further expansion of ties," the Iranian president wrote in another tweet.
The account, @HassanRouhani, has not been verified by Twitter, but is believed to be the legitimate, English account of the Iranian leader. It has 360,000 followers.
Contributing: Michele Chabin in Jerusalem