In brief
During last month’s 12-day conflict, Israel and Iran utilized social media for propaganda and disinformation, significantly impacting public perception and military strategy. The use of artificial intelligence amplified the intensity of this digital confrontation.
In June 2025, escalating hostilities between Israel and Iran transformed social media into a critical arena for psychological warfare. Amid a violent backdrop of missile strikes that caused significant casualties, both nations engaged in a strategic campaign to wield influence through misinformation, aimed at altering the narrative surrounding their military engagements.On June 23, just hours before an Israeli strike targeted Tehran’s notorious Evin prison, social media buzzed with posts in Persian. These posts warned the Iranian populace about an imminent assault and encouraged citizens to gather outside in solidarity, supposedly to free political prisoners. As the bombs fell, a video surfaced on platforms like X and Telegram, claiming to show the aftermath of the explosion at the prison. Although the attack occurred, the narrative constructed around it was intricately orchestrated by Israeli forces, incorporating elements of deception, as indicated by researchers analyzing the communication strategies employed.This tactic exemplified the increasing role of information warfare in modern conflicts. The two weeks of exchanges engaged propaganda strategies that highlighted not only the intensity of the combat but also an unprecedented level of digital manipulation, culminating in narratives that drew on real-time developments, and were further amplified by artificial intelligence. This battle of perceptions preceded physical confrontations and persisted alongside them, demonstrating a new paradigm in how traditional conflicts are fought.The heightened activity in disinformation highlighted the shift into a more complex digital battlefield, where information serves as both a weapon and a shield. Both Israel and Iran understood that shaping public perception is integral to their strategic objectives, making social media a crucial battlefield in contemporary conflicts. In a region already rife with tension, this new wave of psychological warfare could provoke even greater instability as narratives spin and twist, far from the realities of the ground.
