The Israeli foreign intelligence agency (Mossad) has escalated its digital operations targeting Iran, using social media platforms as a primary tool for recruiting agents. These moves come amid rising military tensions, as the agency broadcasts motivational messages urging Iranian citizens to rise up and change their political reality through intelligence cooperation.
Israel's new strategy relies on direct digital outreach, with an official Persian-language channel launched on the Telegram application late last year. This channel is directly linked to the official Mossad website, lending an official character to recruitment attempts that also include Instagram, LinkedIn, and Facebook platforms in various languages.
In response, Iranian authorities announced the dismantling of espionage networks linked to the Israeli occupation in various parts of the country, particularly in the northwest. Judicial sources confirmed the arrest of at least 20 individuals in West Azerbaijan province, who were accused of transmitting sensitive information about military and security sites to the enemy.
Local sources reported that the Iranian security campaign was not limited to border provinces but included widespread raids in major cities. These operations resulted in the detention of hundreds of suspects on charges of collaborating with foreign intelligence agencies, amid the state of alert the country is experiencing due to the open confrontation with Israel and the United States.
The Mossad's Telegram channel, which has tens of thousands of subscribers, uses advanced technical methods to secure communication with those wishing to cooperate. The channel provides precise instructions on how to use automated chat programs and encrypted links to ensure that callers are not tracked by Iranian security agencies.
The propaganda campaign did not stop at text messages but extended to include the production of visual content based on artificial intelligence technologies to spread fear among regular forces. Some clips show elements of the 'Basij' forces in a state of panic, with threatening messages indicating that Israeli monitoring devices are tracking them everywhere.
Security experts believe that these methods are not new but are a development of old tools used by global intelligence agencies for decades. Yossi Melman, a journalist specializing in defense affairs, pointed out that the Mossad follows an approach similar to what the US Central Intelligence Agency did by funding broadcasts and publications directed at hostile countries.
Among the active platforms, the 'Mossad Farsi' account on the X platform stood out, attracting a wide following since the outbreak of direct military confrontations between the two sides. The account publishes diverse content that mixes sarcasm towards the Iranian leadership with providing medical and social consulting services to attract the attention of the general public.
The intelligence agency exploited global political slogans to give a 'liberationist' character to its campaign, such as the slogan 'Let's make Iran great again.' These messages aim to create a sense of identification between the national aspirations of Iranians and the strategic goals that Israel seeks to achieve in the region.
With the outbreak of popular protests in Iran, the tone of Israeli accounts shifted to direct incitement to take to the streets and engage in field confrontation. These accounts claimed the existence of field coordination that goes beyond mere media support, in an attempt to destabilize the internal system and disrupt its security efforts.
The field developments increased the intensity of the conflict, especially after the assassinations of high-ranking figures in the Iranian security hierarchy. The assassination of Ali Larijani, Secretary of the Supreme National Security Council, and Basij commander Gholamreza Soleimani, was a turning point that led the Mossad to openly celebrate it through its digital platforms.
Reports indicate that the Mossad relies on media personalities known to the Iranian public, such as broadcaster Menashe Amir, to enhance the credibility of its messages. Videos featuring Amir have garnered millions of views, reflecting the extent of cultural and media penetration that Israel is trying to achieve.
Despite the tight security grip in Tehran, the continued flow of intelligence from within indicates vulnerabilities that the Mossad is trying to exploit. Digital channels continue to ask subscribers to send 'field reports' and photos of military sites, describing them as 'witnesses to the truth'.
The intelligence conflict between Tehran and Tel Aviv remains open to all possibilities, with the weight shifting from traditional operations to cyberspace. These campaigns prove that social media has become a real battlefield no less important than direct military confrontations in shaping the regional conflict.
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Digital Shadow War: How the Mossad Uses Social Media Platforms to Recruit Agents Inside Iran?