JERUSALEM — As Israel wages a fierce war in the Gaza Strip against Hamas, one of Iran's best-trained proxies, the Islamic regime in Tehran is targeting Jews through social media platforms such as TikTok, Instagram and Telegram. They are stepping up efforts to directly attack human nations. Israeli security officials said in a statement this week that they are recruiting Iranian-Israeli nationals for the purpose of espionage and spreading divisive misinformation.
According to the agency, better known by its abbreviation Shin Bet, Iranian security forces have succeeded in recruiting several Israelis in recent weeks, including members of the security services and prominent figures active in public life. It is said that he was sent on assignments such as taking photographs of the residence of Mr. criticized Iran.
Additionally, the Shin Bet newspaper reports that the Iranian side has made no known bid to send flowers and messages to some of the families of those taken hostage by Hamas in the deadly Oct. 7 terrorist attack on southern Israel. It was reported that he ordered Israeli agents to do so. The Shin Bet has also attempted to foment discord against some families, including by launching protests near their homes and taking photos during large gatherings held weekly in Israel. He said he had discovered an online platform used by Iran.
Dr. Yoel Guzanski, a senior fellow at Tel Aviv University's National Security Institute, said Iran's actions since the start of the Gaza war following Hamas attacks “demonstrate Iran's determination to undermine Israel. , we have shown that we will use every means possible,” he told FOX News Digital. I have the power to do so. ”
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Tehran operatives created a platform called Kan+, which used graphics similar to those on Israel's state broadcasting channel Kan 11, and was used to “phish” the details of Israelis who responded to surveys. (Israeli security authorities)
Iran is known to have used the following cyber intrusion techniques in the past: recent events In this incident, four Iranian Jewish women were recruited and asked to photograph sensitive locations by Iranian agents in Turkey. “The intensity of attacks that we have seen recently has been much higher” since the current war began, Guzanski said.
“We are seeing Iran fighting Israel on several dimensions,” he said, “through its proxies and dynamically in the cyber realm. The most interesting in the cyber realm. The problem is that the attack is coming directly from Iran.”
Shin Bet said it used sophisticated tools to detect fictitious online platforms that were apparently directed and promoted from Iran's capital Tehran. Israeli security officials say among the sites discovered were online surveys asking Israelis for personal information, which was used to recruit Israelis to spy on them, as well as various Israeli political parties and The attack contained a series of fake websites posing as the national broadcaster. The Shin Bet newspaper reported that Iran is “trying to inflame political discourse and deepen divisions within Israel.”
Surveillance cameras installed on the streets of Tehran, Iran, April 9, 2023. (Majid Asgaripour/WANA via Reuters)
“The Shin Bet, in cooperation with other Israeli security services, takes active measures to monitor and prevent any activities that threaten the security of the Israeli state,” the agency said in a statement.
Guzansky cited Israel's chaotic political system and the massive street protests earlier this year that brought together hundreds of thousands of people against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's plans. I think there are some weaknesses in this, and that's not a mistake.” To review the judiciary.
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Two fake websites used by Iran to contact Israeli citizens and sow division in Israeli society. The site is called “Ein Kol,” which means “silent” in Hebrew. (Israeli security authorities)
He said Iran is always looking for ways to “pit Israelis against each other.”
“They've been using all kinds of messages online that are aimed at dividing and conquering Israel. It's as simple as that,” Guzanski said.
Dr. Meir Javedanfar, a lecturer in Iranian studies at Reichmann University near Tel Aviv and who grew up in Tehran, told Fox News Digital that Iran's efforts to infiltrate and manipulate Israeli society are “a big deal for Iranian-Israeli people. It's very worrying.”
“Iranian Israelis are both targets and victims of the Iranian regime's hostile policies toward Israel,” he said. “We are extremely concerned about Iran's efforts to gather intelligence through us, as well as its support for groups that seek to kill Israelis, including Iranian Israelis.
Aerial photo shows protesters outside the Israeli parliament on March 27. (Israeli parliament)
“We have seen in the past that Iran tries to trick Iranian-Israeli people into gathering intelligence,” Javedanfar said. “If someone you don't know is trying to contact you in Farsi, there's always the concern that it could be something suspicious and you should be very careful.”
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A website asking Israelis to fill out a form. (Israeli security authorities)
Javedanfar, who immigrated to Israel via Britain in 2004, said that until around 2007, Iranian-Israeli nationals would return to visit their former home, but the Iranian regime is trying to recruit some of the visitors. As a result, it was discontinued, he said.
“We still have strong ties to the Iranian people and Iranian culture,” he said. “And we also have great sympathy for the plight of the Iranian people.”
He said that sympathy is reflected by many Iranians who oppose the extremist regime in the country during the current war in Gaza.
The Israeli military said the photo shows troops operating inside the Gaza Strip on November 5. (Israel Defense Forces, via AP)
“We found that on social media, it is actually only Iranian nationals who are overwhelmingly pro-Israel, because they too see themselves as victims of Islamic extremism.” Mr. Vedanfar said.
But INSS' Guzansky said Iran should be seen as a global problem, not just an Israeli one.
“Iran is behind the scenes, behind the scenes, running every part, every proxy,” he said. Guzanski pointed not only to Hamas in Gaza, but also to Hezbollah in Lebanon and the Houthis in Yemen, which have attacked international targets in the United States and the Red Sea and disrupted global shipping routes.
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Shin Bet discovered a Telegram channel called BringHomeNow, a play on the official slogan of a forum working to free hostages. (Israeli security authorities)
Guzanski said Western countries and Israel prioritized dealing with Iran's nuclear ambitions and failed to pay attention to other threats posed by regimes in the region.
“Israel is fighting Iran in Syria, but it is fighting alone.” “The United States is reluctant to get involved and seeks to avoid war at almost any cost. But appeasement has just the opposite effect: It gives the other party more power and increases their appetite. So war is coming. That's the Iranian way.'' You can see it. ”
