Security experts believe Israeli intelligence services are turning to social media to gather information and recruit potential informants in Lebanon and Iran, using online advertisements and appeals tailored to local audiences.
A verified Instagram account operating under the handle @themossad_official presents itself as belonging to Israel's foreign intelligence agency and has published messages in colloquial Lebanese Arabic inviting people to make contact through confidential channels. Its profile features pinned highlights with titles including "Lebanon", "Israel", "Mossad wants you!", "Protection" and "Think about your future".
Lebanon's General Security Directorate warned residents against interacting with the account in August 2025. The warning fits a broader pattern. In January 2025, the Lebanese newspaper Al Akhbar reported that Israeli operatives were attempting to recruit Lebanese citizens through fake job advertisements offering high salaries and through direct outreach on WhatsApp. Retired Brigadier General Mounir Chehade told the newspaper the efforts targeted areas with significant support for Hezbollah, including Beirut's southern suburbs, southern Lebanon and the Bekaa Valley.
That same month, the security directorate warned against interacting with a Facebook page called SAWA, which it suspected was a Mossad front. In December 2025, L'Orient Today reported that the agency had warned residents against a page calling itself "Unit 504", which claimed to represent the Israeli military's human intelligence unit and said it was looking for individuals interested in joining its ranks.
The warnings have been accompanied by arrests. Lebanese authorities were reported in October 2025 to have arrested 32 people suspected of giving information to Israel that was used to target Hezbollah leaders.
Academic and political researcher Wissam Nassif Yassin told Al Jazeera that Israeli intelligence uses colloquial Lebanese Arabic on these platforms to avoid arousing suspicion and to facilitate communication.