Meta today (Wednesday) published a document indicating that an Iranian network created numerous fictitious accounts on Facebook that impersonated Israelis in Israel and around the world.
The Iranian network's goal was to divide and increase the rift in the Israeli public, and the informants had different political and social identities.
The accounts included, for example, a model of right-wing supporters who posted content supporting Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu before the Hamas attack on October 7. The fictitious profiles posted posts supporting more right-wing policies and even National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, while criticizing Netanyahu’s handling of the war.
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On the other hand, other accounts published content that focused on ultra-Orthodox society and ultra-Orthodox demonstrations.
Additional accounts impersonated Israeli women who posted about the ongoing protests against the government.
Meta announced that it had removed 22 Facebook accounts, eight pages, eight groups, and 23 Instagram accounts originating from Iran - due to what it defined as "violation of the policy on coordinated inauthentic behavior.".
The Iranian network included various types of activity and used fake accounts to create fictitious entities impersonating Israelis in Israel and abroad to manage groups and pages and publish content.
The Iranians operated on various online platforms, including Telegram, YouTube, TikTok, and Twitter.
According to Meta, the accounts were removed before they were able to build an audience among authentic communities.
In addition, the company removed 510 Facebook accounts, 11 pages, one group, and 32 Instagram accounts for violating its policy on coordinated inauthentic behavior - originating in Israel.
These accounts were part of a campaign launched from Israel by an Israeli company that targeted various people around the world.
