Israeli Police Erase 'Suspicious Accounts' on X Ahead of Knesset Elections

The Israeli Police announced on Sunday that they had identified and deleted a network of suspicious accounts on the X platform, alleging they were used to unlawfully influence the public ahead of Tuesday's Knesset elections. The police did not disclose the identities of those behind the accounts or the nature of the content they published. The Investigations and Intelligence Division, in cooperation with the State Prosecutor's Office Cyber Division, detected the network, which reportedly includes accounts suspected of attempting to influence voters in the pre-election period. A specialized unit within the Intelligence Division led the operation, resulting in the deletion of several accounts to halt their activity and prevent further suspected influence. The police emphasized their commitment to maintaining election integrity but did not specify the number of deleted accounts, the entities responsible, the methods of alleged influence, or the extent of the content's reach. It also remained unclear whether the network was operated from within or outside Israel.

This announcement follows a similar statement from the Shin Bet security agency three days prior, which reported deleting social media accounts allegedly used in foreign influence attempts on the elections, in coordination with the State Prosecutor's Office and the Central Elections Committee.

In a separate security matter, the Likud party, through its lawyer Ilan Bombach, claimed to have received "serious and dramatic security warnings" regarding "terrorist" entities intending to disrupt or influence the elections. This claim was made following a meeting between Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Inspector General of Police Dany Levi.

Separately, a Haaretz investigation published Thursday revealed that online accounts previously used to promote Reza Pahlavi, the son of Iran's former Shah, and target the Iranian regime, later contributed to spreading election propaganda for Netanyahu and attacking his rivals on X. The newspaper's analysis indicated that at least 185 accounts that had previously promoted Pahlavi interacted with Netanyahu's accounts and amplified his content since the election period began. The police have not stated whether the accounts deleted on Sunday are connected to the networks discussed in the Haaretz investigation.