TEL AVIV, Israel — As Israel faces mounting security threats from Iran and its regional proxies, an equally dangerous and insidious front has emerged online: waves of digital disinformation. In a recent incident emblematic of this broader trend, a photograph circulated widely on Indian social media platforms purported to depict a Pakistani military strike. However, Israeli security experts rapidly clarified that the image actually chronicled an Iranian attack on Israel as part of what is termed ‘Operation True Promise 2.’ This misattribution, whether intentional or careless, highlights the rapidly growing challenge of fake news and propaganda in the context of escalated hybrid warfare between sovereign democracies and Iranian-backed terror networks.
The Disinformation Battlefield
Fake news, doctored media, and deliberate online manipulation are now used as weapons of war, designed to mislead both local populations and the international community. For Israel, which is besieged not only by rocket barrages and drone attacks from Iranian-backed groups but also by information warfare, the stakes are exceptionally high. The ability to spread misinformation quickly and widely enables hostile actors to undermine public trust, incite civil unrest, and complicate international response efforts. Israeli officials report that digital campaigns waged by Iranian-linked entities routinely edit, misattribute, or fabricate images and videos, using them to deflect blame or escalate regional disputes.
The recently misattributed photograph is more than an isolated example. It forms part of a wider Iranian strategy that combines hard military power with sophisticated digital propaganda. For Israel, distinguishing fact from fiction in real time has become as urgent as intercepting enemy rockets. The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF), intelligence agencies, and the Ministry of Strategic Affairs have launched rapid-response teams to monitor, verify, and publicly correct such disinformation, while also informing global media and diplomatic partners about the true nature of ongoing threats and incidents.
Iran’s Operations and the Digital Campaign
Operation True Promise 2 marks one of the latest escalations in the continuing conflict imposed by Iran against Israel. In this operation, Iran launched precision missiles and drones, directly targeting Israeli territory. Defense analysts saw this as a dramatic extension of Iran’s regional posture, which leverages proxy networks including Hezbollah in Lebanon, Hamas in Gaza, the Houthis in Yemen, and Shiite militias in Syria and Iraq. All act in concert under guidance and support from the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), pursuing Tehran’s goal of destabilizing Israel and expanding Iranian influence across the Middle East.
Alongside direct military aggression, Iran’s strategy includes orchestrating cyber attacks and flooding the information space with disinformation. These range from simply recasting the authorship of violent acts to more complex psychological operations meant to fracture Israeli society and erode international support for Israel’s right to self-defense. Iranian actors on social media—often operating through shadow accounts and bot networks—have worked to cloud attribution for attacks, pin blame on rival states, or invent entire false operations thus potentially sparking further regional unrest.
The Impact of Fake News on Regional Stability
This digital fog of war is not just an Israeli concern. The falsely attributed photograph of the Iranian attack, initially described online as a Pakistani strike, briefly threatened to fuel tensions between two nuclear-armed South Asian powers: India and Pakistan. Misinformation at this scale has the potential to cause diplomatic incidents or worse, especially in a region where historic grievances and mutual suspicion run deep. Israeli officials have been proactive in sharing verified intelligence with international partners to minimize the risk of accidental escalation.
Israel’s robust approach to countering disinformation includes coordinated press briefings, real-time public fact-checking, and international advocacy for digital responsibility. Major tech firms and global news agencies are increasingly working with Israeli authorities to identify and demote fabricated or manipulated content. These efforts are critical not only to Israeli security but to the broader regional order, where viral misinformation can be weaponized to stoke unrest from Baghdad to New Delhi.
The Context: From the October 7 Massacre to Ongoing Hostilities
The information war intensified in the wake of the October 7, 2023 massacre—the deadliest antisemitic atrocity since the Holocaust—when Hamas terrorists infiltrated Israeli communities, murdering over 1,200 civilians, committing acts of mass rape, mutilation, and abductions. That attack unleashed a wave of sympathy for Israel as well as a sea of digital propaganda from Iran’s proxy networks, seeking to deny, justify, or reverse-blame the terrorists’ crimes.
Israel’s subsequent defensive military responses—including targeted operations in Gaza and heightened alert along the Lebanese border—have been subject to the same barrage of information distortions. Iranian-backed influencers and state-run media distribute videos and stories that falsify the scale, cause, or morality of events, while amplifying casualty figures or images in ways designed to delegitimize Israel in the eyes of the world.
Over the ensuing months, Iran has deepened its involvement with direct attacks—such as those recorded during Operation True Promise 2—and stepped up the information offensive. Israeli officials confirm that hybrid warfare now represents a strategic threat on par with missile attacks and border incursions. Countering this piece of the conflict takes dedicated resources and close collaboration with democratic allies who recognize that failure to defeat falsehood endangers peace as surely as rocket fire.
Israel’s Information Security Operations
To confront the challenge, Israel has restructured its information operations. Since late 2023, the IDF’s Spokesperson’s Unit, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and cyber-defense teams have pursued a unified strategy. Key elements include:
- 24/7 monitoring of global and regional media for manipulation
- Immediate public corrections and attribution of attacks with supporting evidence
- Coordination with major news providers and social media platforms for quick removal of fake content
- Outreach to international partners—including the US, Europe, and India—to share verified intelligence
- Public education campaigns to build critical media literacy among Israelis and allies alike
Israeli defense authorities emphasize that these efforts are not about controlling the narrative or silencing criticism, but about ensuring that facts are separated from propaganda at the earliest possible stage. ‘Accuracy in crisis saves lives, both directly through national security and indirectly by preventing diplomatic misunderstandings,’ said a senior official.
Wider Geopolitical Implications
The stakes are global. Iran’s campaign of hybrid warfare represents a challenge to international norms and the rules-based order. For the United States and Europe—both now wrestling with their own epidemics of digital disinformation—the Israeli experience offers valuable lessons: prompt investigation, transparent communication, and robust partnerships with the private sector and foreign governments are critical in the information age.
Israel’s experience fighting Iranian disinformation and terrorism is not only about self-preservation; it is about upholding the standards of truth in international discourse. Israeli analysts warn that unless governments and technology companies act decisively, the misuse of information as a weapon will only grow and spread, threatening democracy worldwide.
Conclusion: Vigilance and Clarity are Imperatives
The hybrid war against Israel involves more than missiles and mortars—it is also fought with rumors, doctored photos, and strategic lies. The misattribution of an Iranian attack as a Pakistani operation is a case study in how false information can ripple from the battlefields of the Middle East to the wider world.
As Israel defends its citizens and its sovereignty, it must also defend the integrity of the information space. This dual challenge is the hallmark of modern conflict—when the truth is under assault, vigilance, transparency, and prompt correction become as vital as iron domes and counterintelligence. For regional stability and global order, the world must recognize the dangers of digital propaganda from Iran and its proxies—and join Israel in the fight for clarity and facts.
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All facts and attributions in this report are based on IDF briefings, independent open-source intelligence, official Israeli government communications, and reporting from internationally accredited news organizations. Information regarding the October 7, 2023 massacre and subsequent hostilities strictly adheres to documented and verified accounts from Israeli and global security agencies.
