The Arabic-language spokesperson of the Israeli army, Avichay Adraee. (AFP archive photo)
Avichay Adraee, Arabic-language spokesperson for the Israeli army and a familiar face to the Lebanese public and the region, is expected to soon leave his position after more than twenty years with the "spokesperson unit," several Israeli media outlets reported Tuesday.
Locally known for his "death threats," in other words his posts on imminent Israeli strikes during the war between Israel and Hezbollah, Adraee played a key role in what the Israeli army calls its "operational media strategy," addressing Arabic-speaking populations in Gaza, the West Bank, Lebanon and Yemen, especially since the outbreak of war in Gaza on Oct. 7, 2023.
He regularly broadcast evacuation maps and warnings ahead of Israeli army strikes in Gaza and Lebanon. His communications have sometimes targeted audiences in Syria, Yemen, Iraq and Iran, as part of a broader effort to expand Israeli media influence in the region.
With millions of followers on social media and numerous interviews in Arabic-language outlets, he has become the main face of the Israeli army to the Arab world.
No precise timetable
According to the Jerusalem Post, he began his military career in unit 8200, a branch of Israeli military intelligence, before joining the spokesperson unit in 2005. Three candidates are currently being considered to succeed him, notably through on-camera performance tests, reports the newspaper Maariv.
Israeli army radio journalist Doron Kadosh said, according to the Jerusalem Post, that "there is currently no timetable for Avichay Adraee's departure, and discussions are ongoing with Israeli army spokesperson Effie Defrin concerning the schedule and the choice of his successor."
The Israeli army has also had for several years a deputy Arabic spokeswoman, Ella, who publishes warnings, maps and other information but is less well-known than Adraee. She currently serves as deputy spokeswoman for the Arab world and heads the Arabic communications department under Adraee’s supervision.
With more than 838,000 followers on X, over 399,000 on Instagram, and more than 1.2 million on TikTok, Adraee speaks Arabic and invokes the cultural nuances of each country, down to proverbs and jokes. His face was first seen during the Lebanon war in July 2006. A few years earlier, the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs had launched a public relations campaign targeting Arab audiences, creating Arabic-speaking spokesperson positions to address local and international Arab media.
In a 2004 article entitled Here is the Occupation Army’s Spokesperson, the newspaper Haaretz discussed this strategy shift, noting that the previous dominant opinion was "not to communicate with the enemy." The first Arabic-language spokesperson, Eitan Arusi, was considered "too Western." By contrast, Adraee had the "perfect profile."
Born in Haifa in 1982, Adraee has Iraqi maternal grandparents and Turkish and Syrian paternal grandparents. His appearance and accent let him blend easily into the streets of Cairo or Beirut. "I speak Arabic all day, and sometimes I even dream in Arabic," he told the Israeli site Mako in 2021, noting that it was his father who encouraged him to study the language.
