Lebanon-linked operators run fake Israeli 'news site', spread anti-Israel sentiments - exclusive

• Published date: 18 April 2024
• Author: SHLOMI HELLER
• Publication title: Jerusalem Post, The: Web Edition Articles (Israel)

On January 17, 2024, "Dofek TV" (Dofek.tv) appeared as a new Israeli news site. It provides continuous updates on events in Israel and globally, with its editors claiming to "address Jewish issues in Israel and around the world." Days later, additional digital assets like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube pages were added

Most reports on "Dofek TV" involve extreme messages, societal divisiveness, and content that incites demoralization and despair. Part of the platform's digital assets are promoted aggressively, making them hard to ignore. The Fake Reporter investigation reveals how seemingly foreign entities operate under the radar during wartime as part of hostile influence efforts that have intensified since the outbreak of war within Israel, marking a significant escalation.

Around 400 posts, in Hebrew and English, have been made on Dofek TV's digital assets, attracting over 2,500 followers. The investigation by Fake Reporter, an Israel-based research project aimed at combating malicious activity on the internet, shows that the network's operators "are listed as operating outside Israel." Most, if not all, of the content is copied from existing Israeli news networks and websites. Despite considerable investment in graphics and content, the language used by the operators is either corrupted Hebrew or unconventional. Recently, videos featuring AI-based narration have been uploaded.

What is their messaging?

In its account, operators describe their activity as "without gloves or masks." They write about themselves, stating they "serve the truth and present another side of the story, the story of the Jews in Israel and the world. Because we refuse to escape from narrow minds, we reject using our suffering and pain as weapons. We refuse another Holocaust in our name. We believe in rejecting violence, genocide, and corruption because we reject the cycle of bloodshed imposed on us for decades. Because we aspire to a future where we are all safe and equal. We believe in security, prosperity, heritage, and our culture, and we want the world to hear us and not reject us. Dofek 2024 – the voice of the Jewish community."

Attempts by the site operators to conceal and obfuscate have not been successful. Fake Reporter researchers revealed that Dofek TV's website remains registered through GoDaddy and uses a simple WordPress platform. One of the WordPress User page names is Fadel, which is not an Israeli name. The site is linked to a temporary site...