Haaretz exposes network of fake accounts supporting Pahlavi

The Israeli cabinet, under the leadership of Gila Gamliel (Minister of Intelligence), launched a large-scale digital influence campaign in Persian, directly funding it. One of the main objectives of this campaign is to create a positive image of the Pahlavis in the public sphere and to call for their restoration to the throne.

Researchers at Citizen Lab were able to identify, using various methods and tools, a network of fake accounts on platforms such as X and Instagram which, despite appearances, are not operated by real users. Their profile photos were generated by artificial intelligence.

While most of these fake accounts were created in 2022 during the protests in Iran, their activity intensified with the outbreak of war with Iran. This propaganda network relies on a collection of fabricated characters posing as Iranian citizens.

Links between fake Pahlavi accounts and Israel

Three individuals recruited for this operation confirmed in interviews with Haaretz the connection between the Israeli cabinet and this campaign, stating that they had witnessed content being produced in support of the Pahlavis.

One of the roles of these fake accounts is to call for the restoration of monarchy centered on Reza Pahlavi. They actively promoted hashtags such as #KingRezaPahlavi.

This campaign is not limited to Persian; to increase its reach on social media, it also operates in English and German.

Despite its apparent Iranian façade, the roots of this campaign lie within Israel. It is, in fact, a foreign influence operation funded directly by the Israeli cabinet and taxpayer money.

Coordination with the Israeli military during the 12-day war

Citizen Lab’s research shows a coordination between Israel’s military operations during the 12-day war with Iran and the content of this online campaign. For example, there is evidence that the operatives behind the campaign were aware of Israel’s planned strike on Evin Prison beforehand and had already prepared related content.

The most striking case occurred during the Israeli attack on Evin Prison, when the network began releasing a series of pre-prepared fake videos and posts exactly at the time of the bombing. One video allegedly showing Evin at the moment of the strike was later proven to be AI-generated and fake.

Another activity of this network was encouraging Iranians to go to the prison to free inmates.

Analysis of the network’s activities by Citizen Lab further revealed its connections to several Telegram channels.