The Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency) announced Thursday morning that numerous social media accounts identified as being used for foreign influence operations ahead of Israel's elections have been detected and removed in a joint operation with the State Prosecutor's Office Cyber Department and the Central Elections Committee.
According to the Shin Bet, the accounts were used to spread foreign influence online, and action against them was taken as part of efforts to prevent improper interference in Israel's electoral process.
As part of the joint operation, the three agencies worked to identify profiles that, according to their findings, were being used in attempts to influence the upcoming elections. Following their identification, measures were taken that resulted in the accounts being removed from social media platforms.
The Shin Bet emphasized that the operation was intended to protect the integrity of the elections and thwart attempts by foreign actors to influence Israel's democratic process.
The statement did not identify those responsible for the accounts, the countries from which the influence operations originated, the platforms on which the profiles operated, or the messages they disseminated.
The exact number of accounts removed was also not disclosed.
Efforts to counter foreign influence operations would continue in cooperation with the relevant authorities, the Shin Bet stressed.