Israel cracks down on foreign attempts to influence upcoming Knesset election

Israel’s Shin Bet security agency takes aim at foreign influence accounts ahead of Israel’s general election.

By World Israel News Staff

Israel’s Shin Bet security agency announced Thursday that it had identified and removed numerous social media accounts involved in foreign influence operations targeting the country’s upcoming parliamentary elections, scheduled for October 27.

The accounts were taken down following a joint operation involving the Shin Bet, the State Attorney’s Office Cyber Department and the Central Elections Committee.

According to the security agency, the operation was intended to prevent foreign actors from interfering with Israel’s democratic process.

Authorities did not disclose how many accounts were removed, which social media platforms hosted them or what messages they had circulated. The Shin Bet also declined to identify the countries or organizations responsible for the activity.

The announcement comes amid mounting concerns over attempts by hostile foreign governments to exploit political divisions in Israel ahead of next Tuesday’s vote.

A report released Wednesday by the Institute for National Security Studies and the disinformation watchdog FakeReporter identified Iranian, Russian and Islamist influence networks operating on Israeli social media.

According to the researchers, approximately 150 accounts on X were linked directly to Iranian influence operations. Some had been established as early as June 2025 and subsequently repurposed to participate in political discussions surrounding the elections.

The Iranian networks reportedly circulated conflicting messages designed to intensify existing disagreements in Israeli society, including disputes over ultra-Orthodox military conscription, the government’s handling of security issues and public confidence in state institutions.

Researchers also identified roughly 100 fake accounts associated with the Islamist Isnad network, which published approximately 25,000 posts between August and October. The network, linked to the Muslim Brotherhood, sought to undermine confidence in Israel’s future and discourage political participation.

Russian-linked influence operations were also detected, including a campaign that used a website impersonating an Israeli news outlet to publish fabricated Hebrew-language articles.

Authorities have not established a public connection between the networks identified by researchers and the accounts removed in Thursday’s Shin Bet operation.

Last week, Central Elections Committee acting director-general Din Livne warned that foreign governments were attempting to undermine confidence in the electoral process.

“There are a number of campaigns by foreign countries that seek to undermine the public’s trust in Israel in the elections,” Livne said.

He explained that a dedicated task force would operate on election day in coordination with major technology companies to identify and counter foreign interference.

“Any campaigns that are intended to harm the proper process of the elections, they will be removed immediately,” he said.

Livne also emphasized the importance of distinguishing hostile interference from legitimate political expression.

“You don’t want to censor legitimate expression,” he said, adding that the Shin Bet possessed the capabilities needed to identify organized foreign influence campaigns.

Separately, the National Cyber Directorate and Central Elections Committee announced Operation Election Shield on Sunday, establishing enhanced monitoring and protection for election-related computer systems.

The initiative includes preparations for hacking attempts, phishing attacks, impersonation of official institutions and efforts to spread false claims that election systems have been compromised.

Central Elections Committee chairman Justice Noam Sohlberg sought to reassure voters that safeguards were in place to protect the integrity of the results.

“There are dozens of oversight and control measures to ensure that the results are genuine,” he said.

“Ultimately, the ballots are counted one by one, and they can be counted again and corrected if necessary.”

Sohlberg added that despite the security and technological challenges, the committee remained confident in the integrity of the electoral process.

“We on the committee, despite all the difficulties, are convinced of the integrity of the elections and convinced that elections cannot be stolen,” he said.