Fake 'Iranian' accounts campaigned for Netanyahu ahead of Israel's election

A network of 1,653 accounts posing as Iranians amplified posts by Benjamin Netanyahu, with some accounts using Hebrew to urge Israelis to vote for him. According to Haaretz, these accounts returned to discussing Iran following the election, though their operators have not been identified.

During an address to the Knesset on Tuesday, Netanyahu stated that Iran is working to renew its nuclear threat and argued that the only way to remove this existential threat is through the downfall of the Ayatollah regime. He warned that Israel would face imminent international pressure to tolerate Iran as a nuclear power and to retreat from security achievements. Netanyahu urged Knesset members to prioritize forming a national unity government to face these challenges.

The Jerusalem Post reported that Netanyahu's speech was interrupted by Naftali Bennett, who shouted questions regarding Qatari advisers and investigations into October 7. Additionally, ABC News AU reported that Netanyahu used a speech traditionally used as a toast to rail against Arab-Israeli members of the Knesset three weeks after a deadlocked election result.

Brief written by urgent.news from Haaretz, ABC News AU, Jerusalem Post — 3 reports on this story. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.