A social media account that published an image showing an Israeli general photoshopped to look like Hitler was likely operated by Iranians as part of a social disinformation campaign, the Shin Bet security agency said Sunday.
The now-deleted post on X — the social media site formerly known as Twitter — showed the head of the Israeli military’s Central Command, Maj. Gen. Yehuda Fox, with a Hitler-like mustache and an armband with a swastika, in front of a Nazi flag.
“Yehuda Fox is a tyrant dictator who uses dictatorial measures to silence those who publish criticism against him,” the text of the post read, copying word for word from a post by a settler activist last week.
The Shin Bet in a statement said that “it is highly likely that this is a fictitious profile operated by Iranian elements.”
“It should be noted that for some time Iran has been advancing a comprehensive network campaign, the aim of which is to divide Israeli society and destabilize it, and it is estimated that the publication of the photo today is part of this campaign,” the agency said.
Fake Reporter, an Israeli organization that investigates online fake news, also noted that the account was believed to be part of a foreign disinformation campaign.
Head of the IDF Central Command, Maj. Gen. Yehuda Fox speaks to reporters from the Judea Regional Brigade base near the West Bank city of Hebron, August 21, 2023. (Emanuel Fabian/Times of Israel)
Fake Reporter said one of the “main features” of foreign disinformation campaigns is copying content.
“The same thing happened this time. Foreign profiles don’t just tweet things, they latch on to the existing discourse. The fact that a foreign account presented Yehuda Fox as a Nazi only shows that they see attacks against him as an opportunity to deepen polarization in Israel,” the organization said.
Iran has in the past been accused of setting up fake online profiles in order to stoke social tensions in Israel.
Earlier Sunday, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu demanded an investigation into the post
“Netanyahu condemns the incitement and gives full support to the IDF commanders,” the Prime Minister’s Office said.
Settler activists have held Fox responsible for the recent wave of terror attacks, accusing him of not cracking down on Palestinians. The criticism has also been echoed by several right-wing politicians in the coalition.
Heads of the IDF’s Central Command have repeatedly come under fire by some settler groups over the years for what they felt was insufficient action against security threats or egregious action against illegal Jewish settlements.
