Bella Hadid issues apology after picture of her 'kicking' Saudi planes goes viral

Model Bella Hadid has been forced to issue an apology after a picture of her allegedly kicking Saudi planes went viral on social media.

The 22-year-old had shared an image to her Instagram story showing her foot kicking up against an airport window, seemingly depicting Hadid "kicking'" planes from Saudi Arabia or the UAE. However, in a follow-up post on Twitter, Hadid said that she did not intend to offend anyone.

Credit: Instagram

"I never noticed the planes in the background and that is the truth. I would never mean to disrespect these airlines, let alone these amazing countries," she tweeted, posting in both English and Arabic.

Hadid's father is Palestinian, and she underlined that she "would never want my posts or platform to be used for hate against anyone, especially those of my own beautiful & powerful heritage."

"Not only do I have so much respect from the bottom of my heart, I have always tried to stand up for what I feel is right, especially regarding the great Middle East. I have never and will never be the one to talk down on these countries… Only to spread love, and the true beauty of them, as the way I was taught by my Teta [her grandmother] and my father. To feel as if I have disappointed you is what hurts me the most."

On another note, here's Bella Hadid making history alongside her sister Gigi back in 2017:

"I want to send a sincere apology to those who ever thought I would put blame on them, especially to Saudi Arabia and the UAE… This was never the case, and I hope you can understand the misunderstanding," Hadid concluded, before adding in a further tweet: "This was an honest mistake on an early morning... never, ever would I intentionally try to offend anyone like that. I am so sorry."

Hadid has been flying a lot recently: alongside Gigi Hadid, Bella walked the runway for team Versace during the Summer 2020 Fashion Week in Milan, Italy, and the next day, she was back in the US after being spotted at New York's JFK Airport.