Iranians and Russians have been operating against Israelis in cyberspace for years. One of the main stories in the April 2019 elections in Israel was the story of Iranian intelligence hacking Benny Gantz’s mobile phone. As the campaign heated up, it became clear that the Iranians also operated an army of “bots” that responded to news stories with the aim of promoting extreme content. During IDF’s Operation “Guardian of the Walls” in Gaza in 2021, yet another network of fake Iranian accounts was exposed. It ran with the intent to demoralize the Israeli public.
Anti-Israeli online activity has increased significantly since the war broke out – in January this year, a report by FakeReporter and other media outlets exposed how Iranian entities use fake profiles to gather information on Israeli citizens, dispatch them on intelligence gathering missions, and run Telegram groups that promoted divisive agenda. The Israeli society, which was already divided on the eve of the war, provides fertile ground for such influence operations.
One of the exposed groups was called “Second Israel,” which created friction between secular and religious people. The “Tears of War” group operated a Telegram channel that exploited bereaved families to collect information and echo inciting messages. A Telegram channel named BringHomeNow was also operated by foreign agents. One after another, Telegram channels that appeared legitimate were exposed. They were all driven by fake profiles that used the community they created to collect information or spread extreme and divisive content. In a time when anyone can open a Telegram channel, it’s virtually impossible to identify which channel is legitimate and which is fake.
Flowers from Iran
Iranian efforts of influence and intimidation didn’t end there. Last April, the family of Liri Albag, one of the female soldiers who was kidnapped on October 7 from the Nahal Oz post and is held captive by Hamas, received a mourning bouquet with condolences on her death: “May her memory be a blessing, we all know that the state is the most important,” it read. Albag, it’s important to note, was not declared dead. Due to the wording of the message, there were initially those who thought that right-wing elements were behind the act, opposition members rushed to condemn, and news programs extensively covered “another red line crossed by right-wing activists”. After long hours, the Shin Bet announced that Iranian elements were behind the sending of the flowers.
In the week before the opening of the Paris Summer Olympics, athletes of the Israeli delegation received threatening messages from an unknown organization that promised to harm Israeli athletes and “recreate the Munich massacre.” A day before the opening ceremony, the National Cyber Agency revealed that Iran was behind the intimidation campaign against the Israeli athletes.
If someone is looking for good news, they won’t find any here – all signs show that influence operations are becoming more and more sophisticated. The proliferation of information channels and traffic from fake profiles can lend credibility to any report. Want to avoid being a tool in the hands of the Iranians? Avoid sharing personal details unnecessarily, use common sense, and check sensational claims in multiple information channels.
This article is part of Forbes Israel’s special project: The Assault on the West
