Hezbollah Secretary-General Cites Fake Israeli Journalist in Speech, Sparking Mockery in Lebanon

On Friday, Hezbollah Secretary-General Naim Qassem delivered a speech marking the 20th anniversary of the Second Lebanon War, during which he extensively quoted a supposed Israeli journalist named Moshe Yair, claimed to be affiliated with the Israeli media group Yedioth Ahronoth. Qassem cited an article allegedly portraying the Lebanese government as sending a delegation "that loves Israel and America" and aids Israel in "conquering their land." However, this article was fabricated and first appeared on June 10 on the Lebanese website Al-Haqa’iq, attributed to a fictitious "Jewish intellectual Moshe Meir." Neither the journalist nor the persona exists in reality. Following the revelation, Hezbollah’s Al-Manar channel retroactively removed the quoted segment from the official speech transcript published online.

The incident triggered widespread ridicule across Lebanese media and social networks. Lebanese MTV criticized reliance on "imaginary sources," while Al-Jadeed channel highlighted that the fabrication aimed to spread narratives under the guise of an Israeli source. Lebanese journalist Suwasan Mahna commented on X (formerly Twitter), sarcastically asking where Moshe Yair could be found and suggesting Hezbollah members might locate him before Qassem quotes him again in future speeches.

This episode underscores the use of disinformation in political rhetoric and has drawn significant public and media backlash in Lebanon, exposing vulnerabilities in Hezbollah’s messaging strategies ahead of ongoing regional tensions.