Brief
A recent study of social media during the launch of Operation Epic Fury reveals that many negative posts about Israel did not come from American users. Instead, it seems that foreign accounts were responsible for much of the online backlash, using common U.S. political phrases to mimic American voices.
The report shows that 60% of the most shared posts mentioning “Iran” within the first week originated from non-U.S. accounts. These posts presented themselves as if they were created by Americans, making it difficult for regular users to spot their true origins.
According to Eran Vasker, the CEO of Argyle Consulting Group, many of these posts might look American but are not. He emphasized that discovering such foreign influence can be challenging due to the language and political style they use.
The analysis focused on 100 viral posts, each with over 10,000 shares, from February 28 to March 7. Posts mentioning “Iran” achieved a staggering 98 million shares and an estimated 1.5 trillion views, making this one of the most significant online discussions recorded. Interestingly, foreign accounts generated more views than U.S.-based ones, with 155.6 million views compared to 93.4 million.
All the foreign-created posts were negative toward the operation, in stark contrast to supportive posts from U.S. users. Seven of the top ten most influential accounts driving engagement were based outside the U.S., specifically linked to countries like Russia, the UAE, and South Asia.
Cyber threat experts, like JP Castellanos from Binary Defense, noted that many online attacks are focused on Israel, pointing out that up to 42% of the claims targeting the country come from disruptive campaigns. He also mentioned the challenge of differentiating real cyber incidents from exaggerated claims made by hacktivists.
The study suggests that these online political narratives are part of a broader, coordinated effort rather than spontaneous discussions. One notable group linked to these efforts is Handala, a hacking operation associated with the Iranian government, which has claimed responsibility for multiple attacks on U.S. and Israeli targets.
Overall, researchers believe this online activity highlights the changing landscape of information warfare, where foreign influences are increasingly hard to detect and can manipulate public discourse.
