This week, a Telegraph investigation revealed that Hezbollah has trained thousands of social media activists to spread disinformation and propaganda online.
The newspaper revealed that since 2012, the Iran-backed terror group has flown individuals from Iraq, Syria, Saudi Arabia and Bahrain to Lebanon to take part in digital training courses that teach them how to manipulate photographs, create videos, and disseminate false information through social media accounts.
Individuals identified by the newspaper who spoke on the condition of anonymity said they had learned how to create and manage large numbers of fake online profiles to form so-called “electronic armies” across the region. Participants were told not to share details of the 10-day training camp on the outskirts of Beirut, where they were monitored by CCTV during the course.
Iraqi paramilitary group Kata’ib Hezbollah, which has close ties to Hezbollah in Lebanon, has reportedly accessed the training and run large scale social media campaigns in Iraq. Electronic armies have distributed false news stories and incited violence in Iraq in recent years, constituting a significant destabilising factor in the country.
The UK Government proscribed the Hezbollah terror group in full in February last year, citing its “destabilising activities in the region” and commitment to “armed resistance to the State of Israel”.
The UK’s decision to designate Hezbollah as a terror organisation in full came after cross-party parliamentarians regularly called for the group to be banned, in particular raising their concerns about the waving of Hezbollah flags on the streets of London at the annual Al-Quds Day rally.
In April, Germany joined the UK, the US, Canada and the Netherlands in banning the terror group.
