Operation "Vocabulary": Lost in Translation

The Land of Israel has always been renowned for the outstanding sons of its people. From biblical heroes who crushed entire armies to the brave pioneers who turned the desert into a blooming garden, this land has always produced people of extraordinary destiny.

But time doesn't stand still. Technologies have evolved, challenges and threats have shifted, and in our time, a completely new breed of operatives has been raised—invisible, elusive, and, most terrifyingly for the global media, untranslatable.

This squadron, unofficially dubbed the "Flying Jews," brought together Air Force aces and deep-cover Mossad agents under one invisible command.

How We Assembled This Circus

It all started with Asaf Lotz. The old operative was the first to realize that the best cover is a name that sounds like a ridiculous joke.

He spent years assembling this squadron, sifting through the IDF and Mossad in search of guys with the right sense of humor and last names unpronounceable to gentiles.

He found Eli Copter when the latter tried to order a pizza to the base under the name "Eli Ha-Copter," causing the dispatcher's brain to freeze for fifteen minutes.

Amit Nakesh was recruited after responding to an investigator's question, "What is your last name?", he simply pointed silently at a poster on the wall that read "Hitman."

Makhshir Kesher actually ended up in the department by mistake—he was just a brilliant comms guy who kept muttering, "I need a new makhshir kesher (walkie-talkie)," and Asaf decided it was a sign from above.

As for the aces Avi Ron and Maftzitz Ha-Armon, they were airbase legends, famous for always arguing before a mission about who was more "untranslatable" to Iranian radars.

And that's how this squad came together—a circus that strikes terror not with bullets, but with the nuances of translation.

The Faces Behind the Headlines

And here we arrive at the most intriguing paradox, walking the fine line between a foul and dead seriousness.

The world, driven into a frenzy by the names "Eli Copter" or "Amit Nakesh," has actually never seen them.

Think about it: when was the last time You saw the face of an active-duty IDF pilot in a video that wasn't blurred, pixelated, or hidden behind a full-face helmet?

And the faces of active Mossad agents, if they ever appear in the global press, only do so when their careers are, unfortunately, over, and they are sitting in some Arab court.

However, as part of this project, we are offering You a unique, almost forbidden opportunity: to take a peek behind the curtain of this mysterious Jewish kitchen (because man cannot live on tzimmes and forshmak alone!) and see the men whose names have become international memes.

We are showing their real faces!

Who are they, these men who made news editors all over the world break a sweat?

Let us introduce them to You in order of their appearance on the historical stage.

Portrait Gallery of the "Flying Jews" Squadron

Briefing in the "Keshet" bunker: the squadron gathers before Operation "Beit Ha-Sefer".

At the head of this secret network stands that very veteran of the invisible front, the stern head of the special operations department, Asaf Lotz (top row, left).

Asaf Lotz — a veteran of the invisible front, assembling the perfect circus.

He is the man whose only emotion is a slight twitch of his right eyebrow when someone in the global news botches his last name or calls him "Asaf Lutz."

He spent years assembling this squadron, sifting through special forces and intelligence in search of operatives with a flawless sense of humor and last names unpronounceable to gentiles.

Here they are:

Eli Copter — the materialized spirit of Zionist aviation, according to foreign TV channels.

The first to achieve global fame was the unrivaled master of aerial sabotage, Eli Copter (top row, center, in the leather jacket, spinning a toy helicopter).

In May 2024, when the helicopter of Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi vanished in thick fog, it was this "agent" who became the main hero of international news bulletins.

The French TV channel CNews seriously discussed on live television with guest experts: "The official Hamas Telegram channel has stated that a Mossad pilot named Eli Copter is behind the crash.

This fundamentally changes the entire picture of what is happening in the Middle East!"

Amit Nakesh — the man who makes Turkish newspaper editors break a sweat.

A couple of months later, in July 2024, it was time for some precision fieldwork.

The head of the Hamas politburo, Ismail Haniyeh, was eliminated in Tehran. The world held its breath, and senior operative Amit Nakesh—the "Hitman"—stepped into the arena (top row, right, holding a pen with which he might have just disabled some security system).

The Turkish newspaper Akdeniz Gerçek Gazetesi published a massive exposé: "Israeli sources let it slip! The assassination was carried out by Mossad agent Amit Nakesh.

He is an experienced retired officer who served in the most highly classified unit and has a multitude of similar assassinations under his belt."

Makhshir Kesher, Mossad's best cyber agent according to Russian media.

In September 2024, the agency moved the game to cyberspace. To prepare for the unprecedented operation that caused pagers belonging to Hezbollah militants in Lebanon to suddenly start exploding, Asaf Lotz deployed his main tech genius—communications specialist Makhshir Kesher. (bottom row, left, in a hoodie, glued to soldering an old radio).

The Russian media didn't keep us waiting long. Major news Telegram channels, citing the Sputnik agency, solemnly announced: "This entire unprecedented cyberattack is the work of one man.

Israeli intelligence agencies have deployed their best agent named Makhshir Kesher!"

Avi Ron — absolute calm and calculation in any circumstances.

And from the air, this group is always covered by an invincible squadron.

When it comes to retaliatory strikes on Iranian military facilities (as was the case in late 2024), time-tested aces climb into the cockpit—flight commander Avi Ron (bottom row, center, in aviator sunglasses) and his reckless wingman Maftzitz Ha-Armon (bottom row, right, in coveralls with a patch).

Maftzitz Ha-Armon — an analyst's hallucination that leaves no heat signature.

Episode 1: Briefing in the "Keshet" Bunker

Setting: A secret underground Mossad bunker, disguised as a warehouse for broken pagers somewhere in Tel Aviv.

The walls are plastered with printouts of ridiculous headlines from Turkish, Russian, and French newspapers.

The heroes of our story sit at the center of the table.

ASAF LOTZ: (In a dull, flat voice, his eyebrow twitching at a glance at the headline "Asaf Lutz")

"Gentlemen, the debriefing is over. The global media, as usual, have proven their sheer incompetence. Amit, the Turkish press has awarded you the medal of a veteran of Indian origin.

Congratulations.

Eli, the French are still debating whether you were flying solo or if there was an entire 'Eli' squadron of you.

Down to business. New objective. We need to dial up the absurdity. Iran is quieting down, Hezbollah is waiting for new pagers.

The new operation has been codenamed 'Beit Ha-Sefer' (School)."

ELI COPTER: "How much higher can we go, boss? After Raisi, Turkish channels seriously wrote that I'm 'not just a pilot, but the materialized spirit of Zionist aviation.'

Have you seen my visage? Now that I know I'm a spirit, flying has gotten a lot easier."

MAKHSHIR KESHER: "And Solovyov in Moscow called me the 'cyber-brain of Mossad.'

I'm scared to even pick up my phone now, in case it decides I hacked it with the power of my mind.

By the way, I've finished synchronizing the frequencies for 'School'."

ASAF LOTZ: "Excellent. Our goal is to discredit the enemy's early warning system.

Amit, your job is to infiltrate a warehouse in Tehran and swap out all their civil defense sirens for high-powered speakers."

AMIT NAKESH: "Got it. And what are they going to broadcast?"

ASAF LOTZ: "The 'Bnei Zion' kindergarten singing 'Hava Nagila' in death metal style.

The Iranians need to get used to this music as a danger signal."

ELI COPTER: "What about me?"

ASAF LOTZ: "You, Eli, will cover him from the air. In a helicopter that, according to your legend, is 'invisible because it is an idea.'

Avi, Maftzitz... are you guys ready to provide backup if things go south?"

AVI RON: "Always ready, boss. But there's a catch. Maftzitz and I went on social media yesterday... they say we don't exist.

That we are 'a collective hallucination of Turkish analysts'."

MAFTZITZ HA-ARMON: (Enthusiastically chiming in) "That's brilliant, Avi! Hallucinations don't leave a heat signature! We are the 'Phantom Hallucination' squadron!

Boss, give us this mission, we'll bomb Assad's palace, and he'll just think he got a headache from some bad shawarma!"

ASAF LOTZ: (Sighs quietly) "Maftzitz, settle down. The palace can wait. Right now, the speakers are the priority. Take your positions, gentlemen. Operation 'Beit Ha-Sefer' is a go.

And remember: our main strength isn't just stealth. If any of you get exposed, the global media will just butcher the translation of your names once again, and serious analysts will prove that you are a collective hallucination.

That's our perfect shield. Get to work."

Ilya Rosenfeld