Live Update
From the Liveblog of
Thursday, October 22, 2026
Social media profiles part of election ‘foreign influence campaign’ erased from internet — Shin Bet
Emanuel (Mannie) Fabian is The Times of Israel's military correspondent

Likud activists hang campaign posters of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu beside a billboard featuring opposition rival Gadi Eisenkot ahead of Israel’s general election in Dimona, southern Israel, October 21, 2026. (AP Photo/Ohad Zwigenberg)
Numerous social media profiles used as part of a “foreign influence campaign” were removed from the internet ahead of the election, the Shin Bet security agency says.
The Shin Bet says it worked with the Cyber Department in the State Attorney’s Office and the Central Elections Committee to identify the profiles.
“As part of the joint effort to safeguard the integrity of the elections and thwart attempts at improper foreign influence, these accounts were removed from the internet,” the security agency says.
More from today’s Liveblog:
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- Katz says future attacks on Israel ‘licensed in the names’ of opposition leaders amid their criticism of pre-election security warnings
- Trump: There are no negotiations with Iran, something will happen ‘fairly soon’
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