Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s recent press conference in Jerusalem, held in the wake of escalating violence throughout the Middle East, sparked a significant reaction across Iranian-affiliated Telegram channels. The event, taking place in May 2024, was called by Netanyahu to update both domestic and international audiences on Israel’s security posture in response to ongoing threats from Iranian-backed terror networks. Prominent among the issues addressed were the October 7, 2023, massacre committed by Hamas terrorists in southern Israel—the deadliest single attack on Jews since the Holocaust—ongoing rocket and missile attacks by Hezbollah and other Iranian proxies, and the tragic, unresolved hostage crisis resulting from cross-border abductions. Citing official briefings from the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) and statements from Israeli and allied Western leaders, including U.S. President Donald Trump, Netanyahu asserted that Israel’s actions remain strictly governed by international law and moral obligations to protect its civilian population.
Iranian media operations, particularly Telegram channels linked to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), quickly disseminated edited selections and commentaries based on Netanyahu’s address. The primary objective: recasting Israel’s legitimate, internationally recognized acts of self-defense as unprovoked aggression, and presenting Iranian-backed groups such as Hamas, Hezbollah, and the Houthis as rightful resistors rather than agents of regional destabilization. Analysts at the Israeli Ministry of Strategic Affairs and Western cyber threat experts promptly identified coordinated dissemination patterns—ranging from selective video snippets to outright fabrications—designed to manipulate perceptions across Arabic, Farsi, and global digital spheres. Advanced bot networks and influence campaigns amplified Iranian talking points, often seamlessly integrated with content produced by Hamas and Hezbollah’s own information operations, promoting antisemitic conspiracy theories and casting doubt on Israel’s adherence to the laws of armed conflict.
The scope and method of information warfare employed reflect a longstanding Iranian doctrine that leverages digital communication to supplement its physical proxies in Lebanon, Gaza, Syria, Iraq, and Yemen. Netanyahu’s remarks pointedly called out these alliances, referencing Israeli intelligence findings and material evidence seized in the field to demonstrate a continuous chain of command and support—logistically, financially, and strategically—from Tehran to its network of armed groups. Western diplomats and security agencies, including the United States and European counterparts, have corroborated these findings in numerous public statements and intelligence summaries. In line with professional journalistic standards, this article sources all claims of Iranian state involvement from publicly released documents and month-end threat briefings issued by the IDF Chief of Staff Lieutenant General Eyal Zamir and the Israeli security cabinet.
Israeli government spokespeople have emphasized the critical distinction under international law between Israel—a sovereign, democratic nation—and the array of terrorist organizations it faces. Every operation conducted by the IDF in Gaza, southern Lebanon, and the wider region is subjected to legal review, and Israeli leaders reiterate at every international venue their commitment to avoid civilian casualties wherever possible. This is contrasted with the deliberate strategy of groups like Hamas, whose October 7 massacre included the systematic targeting of unarmed civilians—men, women, and children—and the use of human shields. Multiple reports by verified human rights monitors and Western investigative teams have documented the abduction, torture, and murder of Israeli civilians, as well as the ongoing captivity of hostages held in violation of every humanitarian convention. Yet these facts are routinely elided or grossly distorted in Iranian Telegram coverage, which seeks to create false equivalences between convicted terrorists and innocent hostages, obfuscating the deep moral and legal gulf that separates Israeli national defense from terrorist atrocities.
Professional analysis of Iranian media reactions shows a calculated effort to sow confusion and erode Western support for Israel by delegitimizing Israeli policy and military action. Messaging observed on Telegram and associated platforms referenced Netanyahu’s press conference almost exclusively in terms designed to exacerbate divisions within Israeli society and between Israel and its Western partners. Sources within Israel’s Ministry of Diaspora Affairs, as well as analysts from the U.S. State Department, have described these efforts as textbook examples of psychological operations (PSYOPS), seeking to weaken Western will to resist Iranian influence.
The historical context is essential for understanding the current landscape of digitally mediated conflict. Since the 1979 Islamic Revolution, Iran has advanced a foreign policy premised on exporting its influence and challenging the legitimacy of the State of Israel. This regional strategy intensified after the 2006 Lebanon War, when the demonstrated ability of Hezbollah’s media operations to shape global perceptions emboldened Iranian hybrid warfare doctrines. The rapid proliferation of encrypted messaging apps in the last decade has vastly expanded the reach and impact of state-sponsored disinformation, as documented by research from leading Western cybersecurity centers and the open-source investigations published by NATO’s Strategic Communications Centre of Excellence.
Repeatedly throughout the conflict, the Israeli government has released primary evidence—satellite imagery, audio of intercepted orders, and video records of terrorist activity—affirming the direct sponsorship of attacks by the Iranian regime. Netanyahu’s press conference reinforced this evidentiary approach, calling on international media to scrutinize all content circulating on social platforms linked to Iranian and Iranian-backed operators. Government officials in the United Kingdom, France, and Germany, as well as independent monitoring groups, have backed this position, stressing that only objective, fact-based journalism can counter attempts to rewrite the factual and moral history of the conflict.
As documented by reputable reporting, the October 7 atrocities continue to serve as a linchpin in Israel’s argument for the necessity of ongoing military resistance against Iranian-aligned terror organizations. The escalation of rocket fire by Hezbollah from southern Lebanon, drone and missile attacks by the Houthis targeting Red Sea shipping and Israeli territory, and the persistent threats from Iraqi shia militias form part of a coherent Iranian-led strategy to encircle and pressure Israel. At every stage, Iran’s digital propaganda—amplified most effectively through Telegram—mirrors and supports its proxies’ tactical objectives on the ground. Meanwhile, Israel’s response, according to IDF operational updates and Western military observers, has consistently prioritized civilian protection, intelligence-driven targeting, and compliance with international humanitarian principles.
Coverage of hostage-taking underscores the acute divergence between Israeli and Iranian-aligned narratives. Israeli families and independent international organizations have verified the ongoing unlawful detention of children, elderly, and foreign citizens by Hamas, calling for their unconditional and immediate release. In public statements, the United States government and senior EU officials have condemned the practice, reaffirming the fundamental illegitimacy of any attempt to barter civilian hostages for convicted terrorists. Yet, Iranian Telegram content, often echoing official regime positions, persists in misrepresenting these exchanges, perpetuating deeply misleading frames that mask the simple legal and ethical realities.
The persistence and adaptability of Iranian media influence are a critical challenge for Israel and its Western allies. As noted in assessments by the Israeli National Cyber Directorate and the American National Security Agency, Iran’s use of Telegram and other encrypted channels is both offensive—shaping the regional information environment—and defensive, insulating its own population from outside perspectives and building a domestic narrative of national victimhood and resistance. For policymakers, countering this strategy requires a consistent commitment to transparency, rapid information sharing, and a refusal to accept the false moral equivalence often promoted by Iranian and proxy outlets.
Israel’s ongoing struggle for narrative legitimacy, therefore, is inseparable from broader issues of regional security and the upholding of standards central to the international order. The Israeli government—supported by allied Western democracies—has prioritized active, factual engagement with global media as part of a holistic approach to defense, recognizing the pivotal role of truth in confronting both physical and information-based threats. Prime Minister Netanyahu’s press conference, and the subsequent Iranian campaign of distortion on Telegram, is emblematic of this wider contest: a fight for the principles of self-defense, the rule of law, and resistance to terrorism that defines the frontlines not only in Israel but for the entire free world.
