Israeli army tweets meme claiming Iranian women ‘breeding terror’

Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) sparked an uproar on Sunday after sharing an obscure message on Twitter that apparently accused Iranian women of "breeding terror."

The image shared with the tweet showed a shape made out of mainly dashes and slashes that resembled a pregnant woman, with "terror" written beside the womb and a caption reading: "Iran breeding in the Middle East."

As Israel heads to polls on Tuesday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has been resorting to fearmongering to play into security concerns of voters.

Social media users blasted IDF after the tweet went viral, comparing it to the Nazi regime.

"To the Nazis, one of the unforgivable faults of my extended family in Poland was that they bred. Hitler sure fixed that 'problem' Delete your account," @LeniDiamond wrote.

Others criticized IDF for using the word breeding, saying the term refers to animals' reproduction rather than human procreation.

"Iranian women have children - they do not breed. They do not carry child terrorists. There is no such thing," another user wrote.

Netanyahu pledged Saturday to annex Jewish settlements in the occupied West Bank if re-elected, apparently aimed at rallying his nationalist base in the final stretch of the tight race.

Netanyahu previously said that Israel is prepared to wage a broad military campaign in Gaza but only as a last resort.

Security is a major issue for Netanyahu in Tuesday's general election. In power for a decade and beset by corruption allegations that he denies, he is facing his strongest electoral challenge from a centrist coalition led by a former general Benny Gantz.

More recently, Netanyahu claimed U.S. President Donald Trump's recognition of Israeli sovereignty over the Golan Heights as his achievement, saying he had managed to persuade Trump to take these steps.