PUBLISHED ONMarch 04, 2026 10:24 AMBYKoh Xing YingSingapore influencer Novita Lam faced backlash earlier this week after making an Instagram post that used wordplay on Iran and Israel, drawing widespread criticism.
The viral post, which was later circulated on Reddit on Monday (March 2), was criticised online for being tactless.
Lam has since deleted the post and apologised.
In the deleted post, Lam was seen running outdoors with the caption: "Iran this. Israel that. IRAN 5km and the pain ISREAL."
Several netizens criticised her comments, calling them inappropriate and thoughtless.
"Poorly executed pun. Makes light of a real conflict where people are suffering and dying on both sides of the war. Turning war into wordplay for social media and attention shows her lack of empathy and awareness," one user wrote.
"Crazy and insensitive thing to post," commented another.
"There are fellow Singaporeans who are stuck there, and she gives such comments. Many people are unable to leave now, not just Singaporeans. The locals there are in a war zone — quite insensitive of her," added another.
In a follow-up post on Wednesday, Lam acknowledged her mistake, writing: "I would like to apologise for a story I posted earlier. It was insensitive and hurtful especially with what is happening around the world right now."
She said the post was removed as soon as she realised her mistake, and added that she would be more mindful of her actions moving forward.
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xingying.koh@asiaone.com
