Hezbollah Secretary Cites Nonexistent Israeli Journalist in Speech, Sparking Mockery in Lebanon

On Friday evening, Hezbollah Secretary-General Naim Qassem delivered a speech marking 20 years since the Second Lebanon War. About 22 minutes into his address, while criticizing the Lebanese government and its direct negotiations with Israel, Qassem quoted a supposed Israeli intellectual named Moshe Yair, whom he claimed worked for the Israeli media group Yedioth Ahronoth. Qassem read a passage attributed to Yair that accused Lebanese politicians of foolishly aiding Israel's efforts to undermine Lebanon, despite disclaiming any personal agreement with the text.

However, the figure of Moshe Yair was entirely fabricated. There is no such person employed by Yedioth Ahronoth or known as a public intellectual. The official transcript of Qassem's speech omitted this section, though the video recording retained it. Lebanese and Arab media, especially those opposed to Hezbollah, quickly exposed the invention and ridiculed Qassem for citing a nonexistent source to bolster his narrative.

The fabricated article had circulated online since last summer, often attributed to a "Jewish intellectual Moshe Meir (not Yair)" from Yedioth Ahronoth, but without any credible source. Lebanese channel Al-Jadeed confirmed that no such writer exists and suggested the name was created to lend false credibility to pro-Hezbollah and pro-Iranian propaganda in the Arab world. MTV Lebanon, a Hezbollah critic, described the incident as an example of fabricated content and AI-generated misinformation used to create imaginary victories or damage opponents' reputations.

Social media users mocked Qassem, questioning whether he unknowingly relied on unreliable sources or was complicit in the fabrication. Lebanese journalist Suwasan Al-Nah tweeted sarcastically that if she were not afraid of accusations of normalization, she would ask Yedioth Ahronoth where they were hiding Moshe Yair and urged Hezbollah to find him before Qassem cites him again in future speeches.