Iran may be trying to sabotage Israel's upcoming elections and its most dangerous weapon isn't a missile, but fake Israelis spreading fear and distrust online.
Emily Schrader sits down with Golden Owl intelligence analyst Tal Hagen to expose a suspected Iranian-linked influence network operating across social media ahead of Israel's October 27 elections. A new investigation reveals fake Israeli profiles, coordinated disinformation campaigns and attempts to convince Israelis that their government, military and democratic institutions cannot be trusted. But the operation isn't simply about defeating Netanyahu or supporting his opponents. According to Hagen, the real objective is to turn Israelis against one another and convince the public that even future military operations could be political false flags. The interview also explores how foreign regimes exploit social media algorithms, why tech companies struggle to stop these networks and how ordinary users can identify suspicious accounts before falling for their manipulation. With Israeli elections just days away and American midterms approaching, how much of the political outrage flooding our social media feeds is real and how much is being manufactured by hostile foreign powers?
