The Wall Street Journal reports that Israel ran a $50 million influence operation in the United States, sending millions of AI-generated messages to American citizens and paying conservative influencers and media outlets. The operation, which aimed to sustain support for Israel, is the latest in a series of disclosures about Israeli online influence efforts.
The Wall Street Journal reported this morning that Israel ran a $50 million influence operation in the United States, deploying millions of AI-generated text messages to American citizens and paying conservative media outlets and influencers. The report, which broke at 05:55 Jerusalem, is the first in a series of disclosures today. It has been cited by multiple Israeli channels and adds a new cost figure and method to the growing public record.
At 09:11 Jerusalem, The Zioneer reported that the operation used fake personas including 'Sarah' and 'Emma' to send millions of texts. At 12:38 Jerusalem, ynet disclosed a $45 million contract with a former Trump advisor as part of the same effort. Together, the disclosures depict a large-scale Israeli government attempt to shape American public opinion and political discourse during the ongoing war.
The operation is part of a broader Israeli effort to influence U.S. audiences amid the war in Gaza, as previously reported by The Zioneer. The WSJ report is attributed to unnamed sources; the Israeli government has not commented.
What remains unclear: the full list of contractors, the level of direct official authorization, and whether any US laws or platform policies were violated.
5 developments
- StrongIsraeli influence operation included $45 million contract to former Trump advisor, report says
- StrongWSJ: US officials fear Israel gave Trump partial intelligence that could renew war with Iran
- DevelopingAriel Kahana analysis claims Israel gives US far more than it receives in aid
- DevelopingIsraeli AI oversight professionals valued at $12 billion market
Source and signal
- Internal intake