Latest news with #psychologicalWarfare
Wall Street Journal
22-06-2025
- Politics
- Wall Street Journal
Why Countries Are Suddenly Broadcasting Their Spies' Exploits
Israel's airstrikes on Iran exploded across the world's screens as a public display of military firepower. Underpinning that was a less visible but equally vital Israeli covert operation that pinpointed targets, guided the attacks and struck Iran from within. Agents from Israel's spy agency, Mossad, operated inside Iran before and during the initial attacks earlier this month, Israeli officials said. The disclosure was itself an act of psychological warfare—a boast of Israel's ability to act with impunity inside Iran's borders and Tehran's failure to stop it.
Yahoo
20-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Iran's internet blackout leaves public in dark and creates an uneven picture of the war with Israel
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — As the war between Israel and Iran hits the one-week mark, Iranians have spent nearly half of the conflict in a near-communication blackout, unable to connect not only with the outside world but also with their neighbors and loved ones across the country. Civilians are left unaware of when and where Israel will strike next, despite Israeli forces issuing warnings through their Persian-language online channels. When the missiles land, disconnected phone and web services mean not knowing for hours or days if their family or friends are among the victims. That's left many scrambling on various social media apps to see what's happening — again, only a glimpse of life able to reach the internet in a nation of over 80 million people. Activists see it as a form of psychological warfare for a nation all-too familiar with state information controls and targeted internet shutdowns during protests and unrest. 'The Iranian regime controls the information sphere really, really tightly,' Marwa Fatafta, the Berlin-based policy and advocacy director for digital rights group Access Now, said in an interview with The Associated Press. 'We know why the Iranian regime shuts down. It wants to control information. So their goal is quite clear.' War with Israel tightens information space But this time, it's happening during a deadly conflict that erupted on June 13 with Israeli airstrikes targeting nuclear and military sites, top generals and nuclear scientists. At least 657 people, including 263 civilians, have been killed in Iran and more than 2,000 wounded, according to a Washington-based group called Human Rights Activists. Iran has retaliated by firing 450 missiles and 1,000 drones at Israel, according to Israeli military estimates. Most have been shot down by Israel's multitiered air defenses, but at least 24 people in Israel have been killed and hundreds others wounded. Guidance from Israeli authorities, as well as round-the-clock news broadcasts, flows freely and consistently to Israeli citizens, creating in the last seven days an uneven picture of the death and destruction brought by the war. The Iranian government contended Friday that it was Israel who was 'waging a war on truth and human conscience." In a post on X, a social media platform blocked for many of its citizens, Iran's Foreign Ministry asserted Israel banned foreign media from covering missile strikes. The statement added that Iran would organize 'global press tours to expose Israel's war crimes' in the country. Iran is one of the world's top jailer of journalists, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists, and in the best of times, reporters face strict restrictions. Internet-access advocacy group reported on Friday that Iran had been disconnected from the global internet for 36 hours, with its live metrics showing that national connectivity remained at only a few percentage points of normal levels. The group said a handful of users have been able to maintain connectivity through virtual private networks. Few avenues exist to get information Those lucky few have become lifelines for Iranians left in the dark. In recent days, those who have gained access to mobile internet for a limited time describe using that fleeting opportunity to make calls on behalf of others, checking in on elderly parents and grandparents, and locating those who have fled Tehran. The only access to information Iranians do have is limited to websites in the Islamic Republic. Meanwhile, Iran's state-run television and radio stations offer irregular updates on what's happening inside the country, instead focusing their time on the damage wrought by their strikes on Israel. The lack of information going in or out of Iran is stunning, considering that the advancement of technology in recent decades has only brought far-flung conflicts in Ukraine, the Gaza Strip and elsewhere directly to a person's phone anywhere in the world. That direct line has been seen by experts as a powerful tool to shift public opinion about any ongoing conflict and potentially force the international community to take a side. It has also turned into real action from world leaders under public and online pressure to act or use their power to bring an end to the fighting. But Mehdi Yahyanejad, a key figure in promoting internet freedom in Iran, said that the Islamic Republic is seeking to 'purport an image' of strength, one that depicts only the narrative that Israel is being destroyed by sophisticated Iranian weapons that include ballistic missiles with multiple warheads. 'I think most likely they're just afraid of the internet getting used to cause mass unrest in the next phase of whatever is happening,' Yahayanejad said. 'I mean, some of it could be, of course, planned by the Israelis through their agents on the ground, and some of this could be just a spontaneous unrest by the population once they figure out that the Iranian government is badly weakened. ___ Associated Press writers Sarah El Deeb in Beirut and Julia Frankel in Jerusalem contributed to this report. Farnoush Amiri, The Associated Press
Al Jazeera
17-06-2025
- Politics
- Al Jazeera
Trump asks Tehran residents to ‘evacuate immediately'. But can they?
On Monday, Israel ordered Iranians to evacuate from the northern part of the capital, Tehran, days after launching its deadly strikes across Iran. The same day, it bombed the headquarters of the state TV channel IRIB during a live broadcast. Experts say these moves form part of Israel's 'psychological warfare' against Iranians, many of whom have already left the capital amid a continuing barrage of Israeli attacks, which have killed more than 220 people in five days. Israeli spokesperson Avichay Adraee issued an 'urgent warning' on X on Monday, calling for an evacuation order for District 3, a leafy, affluent area in northern Tehran where many foreign embassies are located. It came attached with a 3D map and a warning to residents that their presence there 'endangers' their lives; a format strikingly similar to his warnings issued throughout Israel's war on Gaza and its bombardment of Lebanon. Later, another evacuation order came from Israel's closest ally, the United States. 'Everyone should immediately evacuate Tehran!' US President Donald Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform on Monday. But can a whole city – home to nearly 10 million people – simply pack up and leave? Let's break it down for you: It would be difficult for all its residents to leave in a timeframe that would ensure their safety, according to Al Jazeera's correspondent in Tehran, Maziar Motamedi. One reason is that Iran's capital has a large population of roughly 10 million, which is more people than in London or New York. If you expand that area to the metropolitan area, which includes surrounding suburbs and towns, its population stands at approximately 14-15 million. Heavy traffic congestion is already common in Tehran, especially during rush hour or public holidays, but many of the roads on Tuesday were at a standstill with traffic jams throughout the city as residents attempted to evacuate. The traffic jams are reportedly worsening as the day progresses. Tehran is also surrounded by mountainous terrain, and exit routes are limited to fewer than a dozen arteries that lead out of the city. Al Jazeera's Dorsa Jabbari spoke to some residents who had been attempting to leave Tehran, noting that a trip that usually takes seven to eight hours to reach an area by the Caspian Sea can now take between 18 and 24 hours to complete, due to 'There are no bomb shelters in Iran, there never have been, so people really don't have anywhere to go', Al Jazeera's Jabbari explained. 'This was an unthinkable situation for most Iranians. They haven't seen bombs dropping on Tehran since the Iran-Iraq War, and that ended 37 years ago,' she said. A resident of the Zafaraniyeh neighbourhood in northern Tehran told Al Jazeera that officials had suggested that metro stations and some schools in the city could be prepared to accommodate people seeking shelter. However, these structures were not designed to withstand the type of bombardment that Israel has been striking the capital with. The area that the Israeli military has issued evacuation orders for is home to roughly 330,000 people and the sprawling headquarters of the Iranian state broadcaster IRIB, which Israel bombed on Monday after Israel's Defence Minister Israel Katz said it was 'on its way to disappear'. It is also home to the busy Nelson Mandela Boulevard, which experiences regular traffic jams and is home to several foreign embassies. The lush expanse of Mellat Park, the Enghelab Sports Complex with its popular outdoor swimming facilities, several hospitals and the sprawling Tehran International Exhibition Centre are also situated in the area. The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps has its Sarallah headquarters in the area, as do the police. Al Jazeera's Motamedi said several highways run through or along the periphery of the area marked in Israel's evacuation orders, putting civilians using those roads at risk. However, he said, wherever residents go, they have been at risk from the start with Israel's bombs striking whenever and wherever they want. Yes. Al Jazeera's Tohid Asadi, reporting from Tehran, said a significant portion of the population has chosen to leave the city in response to the explosions and repeated warning messages by Israel. He said there is a strong sense of anxiety and fear among residents, but there is also a distinct feeling of solidarity among those who remain in the capital. He said when he spoke to people, particularly those living in the neighbourhoods that were targeted, there was a deep sense of anger. Residents say they have no connection to the nuclear programme or military facilities, and that they are just citizens whose lives are now being directly affected by these events, he reported from the has made it sound simple, but relocating large numbers of people to other parts of the country is not straightforward. Many residents have family elsewhere in the country or are opting to stay in hotels. However, Israel has targeted locations across the country, which means there is no safe place to head to. Motamedi said that many people may look to head north of Tehran to less-targeted areas such as Rasht, Nur, Chalus, Bandar Anzali and Mahmudabad. These areas are popular with holidaymakers, meaning that hotels and temporary accommodation may be available. Others say they fear that an influx of displaced people could lead to shortages in those areas, so they are uncertain of where they could evacuate to. Yes. Since Israel began its war on Gaza in October 2023, it has issued numerous evacuation orders similar to the ones issued for District 3 on Monday. It has also issued the same type of evacuation order when it strikes in locations in Lebanon. Jabbari said that although these strategies are similar, Iran has an entirely different geography and is also a sovereign state, so it is a war 'on a much larger scale'. What Israel is using is something called the Dahiyeh Doctrine, which is a strategy developed in 2006 when it was at war with Hezbollah, she said. This strategy is when Israel uses excessive force to destroy areas in densely populated civilian neighbourhoods, with the pretext that it is attacking military targets, Jabbari explained. Israel's goal, she said, was to instil fear and panic, and force people to abandon their support for their political leadership. Palestinians in Gaza cannot leave the besieged enclave, as all borders and boundaries are closed, but Trump has still suggested relocating its entire population and to 'clean out that whole thing'.
Forbes
17-06-2025
- Politics
- Forbes
Terrorist Attack Texts And Calls Are Fake, Israel Warns
Israel shelter during missile attack An ongoing 'psychological warfare' campaign is ongoing, Israeli authorities warn, aiming to keep citizens away from bomb shelters for fear of terrorist attacks. The calls and texts claimed to originate from IDF's Home Front Command's 'OREFAlert.' 'Officials believe these threats are part of a psychological warfare campaign orchestrated by Iranian or pro-Iranian groups,' reports The Jerusalem Post, 'aiming to sow widespread panic during the ongoing military campaign against Iran.' Unlike other call and text attacks now surging around the world, these are pure disinformation — there are no dangerous phishing or malware links. The intent is to trick recipients into ignoring usual government advice as Iranian attacks continue. These malicious calls and texts come as the cyber dimension to the ongoing conflict escalates. Cybersecurity firm Radware has warned it's part of a wider campaign, with 'a dramatic 700% increase in cyberattacks targeting Israel in the two days following June 12, coinciding with the commencement of Israel's military strikes on Iran.' Fake incoming call. Per Ynet News, 'officials stress calls are fake and part of a coordinated effort to spread misinformation; they urge the public not to follow any instructions provided in the calls or click on the links mentioned.' It reports that 'messages told recipients to 'prepare for an emergency,' sometimes 'directing them to visit a website for further instructions.' Echoing more benign warnings from U.S. law enforcement and major technology companies, Israel's Home Front Command warns 'it does not contact citizens by phone with emergency instructions unless the individual initiated contact.' The Post says 'since Operation Rising Lion began last Friday, cybersecurity firm Check Point has reported over 2,000 threatening emails targeting Israeli institutions, including universities, local municipalities, and healthcare organizations. Messages included threats such as, 'Prepare for bitter death, dig your graves'."
South China Morning Post
12-06-2025
- Politics
- South China Morning Post
South Korea suspends propaganda loudspeaker broadcasts along border to North Korea
Read more about this: South Korea's military has shut down loudspeakers broadcasting anti-North Korean propaganda along the inter-Korean border, showcasing the new liberal government's first step to ease tensions between the war-divided rivals. South Korea resumed the loudspeaker broadcasts in June 2024, following a years-long pause in retaliation for North Korea flying trash-laden balloons toward the South in a psychological warfare campaign. Pyongyang meanwhile appears to have also suspended its own broadcasts near the border targeting South Korea, according to South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff.
