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Messaging warsNetanyahu: 'We’ve not done well on the propaganda war'
From anti-Israel Legos to fake footage, Iran’s AI propaganda owns the digital battlefield
Nava Freiberg
Nava Freiberg
Harnessing artificial intelligence for cutesy songs and other content, Tehran proves adept at spreading its narrative, dominating Israel’s attempts to win hearts and minds of internet users
Official Iranian social media accounts share AI-generated Lego propaganda promoting its wartime narrative. (X)
May 13, 2026, 10:24 pm
From anti-Israel Legos to fake footage, Iran’s AI propaganda owns the digital battlefield
Harnessing artificial intelligence for cutesy songs and other content, Tehran proves adept at spreading its narrative, dominating Israel’s attempts to win hearts and minds of internet users
By Nava Freiberg
An illustrative image representing social media interactions. (Torsten Asmus; iStock by Getty Images)
January 4, 2026, 12:12 pm
Netanyahu, allies using armies of bots to influence social media discourse – report
Accounts run from foreign countries said to like and share posts by PM, other politicians within seconds, even though videos they’re sharing take minutes to actually watch
By ToI Staff
Following Israel’s military operation against Iran on June 13, the Tel Aviv-based Cyabra found a pattern of disinformation bots that went dark, only to re-emerge with anti-Israel and anti-Western messages. (Cyabra via JTA)
July 15, 2025, 11:00 am
Report claims to expose Iran-backed bots targeting UK that went dark during war
Cyabra says 1,300 fake profiles reached 200 million people with posts about Brexit, Scottish independence and more, but shifted to pro-Iran messaging after wartime disappearance
By Deborah Danan
An Israeli passport on January 18, 2023. (Nati Shohat/Flash90)
April 20, 2023, 12:00 am
Population Authority to open new office in bid to ease passport appointment shortage
Interior Ministry body hopes to provide hundreds more meetings a day to solve issue, as networks of hackers and bots scoop up time slots, sell them for steep prices online
By ToI Staff
Illustrative: Israeli passports in Jerusalem, January 18, 2023. (Nati Shohat/Flash90)
April 16, 2023, 6:32 pm
Unable to renew passports, many Israelis resort to paying scalpers for appointments
With backlog of a million pending renewals following pandemic, some pay hundreds of dollars as system is overwhelmed by hackers
By Michael Bachner and ToI Staff
Former US president Donald Trump speaks at the Conservative Political Action Conference, CPAC 2023, at National Harbor in Oxon Hill, Maryland, March 4, 2023. (Alex Brandon/AP)
March 6, 2023, 4:44 pm
Israeli tech sleuths uncover pro-Trump bot network swarming presidential rivals
Cyabra researchers identify 3 networks of potentially hundreds of thousands of fake accounts criticizing DeSantis and Haley, in manipulation of mainstream US Republican sentiment
By David Klepper
The LinkedIn logo is displayed during a product announcement Thursday, Sept. 22, 2016, in San Francisco. (AP/Eric Risberg)
August 26, 2022, 5:09 am
Israeli tech worker goes viral with AI bot that churns out ‘cringe’ LinkedIn posts
Tom Orbach’s generator pokes fun at some of the more popular posts on the platform, which has gained a reputation for inspirational messages ranging from tone-deaf to nonsensical
By Ricky Ben-David
The Twitter app is seen on a digital device, Monday, April 25, 2022, in San Diego. (AP/Gregory Bull)
May 17, 2022, 7:31 pm
Fake accounts on Twitter comprise over 13%, says Israeli tech startup
As Musk appears to tiptoe back on $44b acquisition of Twitter over scale of user inauthenticity, Tel Aviv company Cyabra says it estimates millions of fake accounts
By Ricky Ben-David
CEO Elon Musk departs from the justice center in Wilmington, Delaware, July 13, 2021. (AP/Matt Rourke, File)
May 17, 2022, 2:07 pm
Musk: Twitter deal can’t go ahead without proof under 5% of accounts are bots
Tesla CEO says he wants confirmation of platform’s estimates on number of fake users, claims true number is at least 20% or higher; comment bolsters theory he may not want deal
By AP
Illustrative: Likud supporters protest outside the home of Yamina MK Ayelet Shaked in Tel Aviv on May 30, 2021. (Flash90)
December 29, 2021, 11:07 pm
Report: Aiming to sow chaos in Israel, fake accounts target Likud activists online
Israeli TV claims Iranian actors created fake accounts to share extremist political content in both pro- and anti-Netanyahu Facebook groups, reached a million people
By ToI Staff
Fake news uncovered by student volunteers at the IDC Interdisciplinary Center in Herzliya, central Israel. (Courtesy IDC)
May 20, 2021, 3:57 pm
Students expose fake social media reports on Israel-Gaza, to set record straight
Around 180 students from Israel and around the world staff situation room at Interdisciplinary Center in Herzliya, looking out for false anti-Israel coverage and explaining facts
By Sue Surkes
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (left) and Blue and White leader Benny Gantz. (Oded Balilty and Jack Guez/AFP)
April 8, 2019, 6:41 pm
Netanyahu is most-tweeted-about Israeli politician, Gantz is second
On eve of elections, PM’s Twitter supporters tout his foreign policy prowess; detractors tweet about his alleged lack of integrity
By Simona Weinglass
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks at a Likud Hanukkah event on December 2, 2018 (screen capture: Facebook)
April 1, 2019, 11:59 am
Gantz claims Netanyahu trying to steal elections as ‘fake news’ network revealed
Watchdog says hundreds of bogus social media profiles, with 2.5 million hits, working to boost PM, smear his rivals; Blue and White demands police probe; Likud denies involvement
By Raoul Wootliff
Benny Gantz, left, and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, right. (Gili Yaari, Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)
March 28, 2019, 7:15 pm
Fake news hits new high as bots, trolls continue to bat for Netanyahu – report
Vocativ media company’s ninth weekly summary finds that Blue and White leader Gantz still leads as target of most negative false news online
By Sue Surkes
A victorious Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu greets supporters at Likud party election headquarters In Tel Aviv. early on March 18, 2015. (Miriam Alster/Flash90)
March 28, 2019, 8:45 am
With over 6 million online followers, PM’s internet empire prepares for election
Amid a campaign high on spite and fake news, Netanyahu is uniquely placed to impact the biggest audience. Does he have another ‘Arabs turning out in droves’ surprise in store?
By Sue Surkes
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