TEHRAN – An article on Haaretz has reported a wide-ranging Israeli influence campaign targeting Iran, aiming to promote the return of the overthrown Pahlavi monarchy.

According to reports by Haaretz, TheMarker, and the University of Toronto’s Citizen Lab, Israel has been running Persian-language online operations designed to amplify the image of Reza Pahlavi, the son of the deposed Shah, and to encourage anti-government sentiment inside Iran. 

The revelations shed light on the extensive use of artificial intelligence, fake social media accounts, and disinformation to destabilize the Islamic Republic at critical moments, including during Israel’s recent military aggression against Iran.

Citizen Lab researchers found that, during the Israeli bombardment of Tehran’s Evin Prison on June 23, a network of inauthentic accounts began circulating fabricated videos and false reports even before Iranian media had confirmed the attack. The material, some of it AI-generated, was designed to look like it came from ordinary Iranians near the scene. The campaign, dubbed “Prison Break”, aimed to provoke unrest by encouraging people to rush to the prison to “free family members.”

Researchers concluded that the speed and precision of the disinformation effort strongly suggest prior knowledge of the Israeli strike, making it highly unlikely that any independent third party could have carried out the operation.

The same investigations also exposed a separate Israeli-backed digital operation that promotes Reza Pahlavi as a political alternative to Iran’s current leadership. The campaign has relied on “avatars”—fake online identities posing as Iranian citizens—to flood social media platforms such as X (formerly Twitter) and Instagram with pro-Pahlavi content.

Sources familiar with the project confirmed that native Persian speakers were recruited to produce content and that artificial intelligence tools were employed to generate videos and narratives favorable to the former crown prince. In some cases, the network amplified posts from Pahlavi’s Israeli ally, Innovation, Science and Technology Minister Gila Gamliel, who publicly hosted him during his first official visit to Israel in 2023.

An August 7 article by Haaretz also reported that less than a week after the war with Iran, Gila Gamliel posted an AI-generated video relating to Iran on X that quickly racked up more than 600,000 views. Researchers identified hundreds of suspicious X accounts that artificially boosted Gamliel’s Iran-related content. Unlike her posts on domestic issues, which attracted only a few thousand views, her Pahlavi-themed posts consistently reached hundreds of thousands of users.

The investigations revealed that the pro-Pahlavi network was not operating in isolation. Citizen Lab documented another set of Israeli-linked accounts that spread AI-generated videos, fake BBC Persian reports, and deepfakes of Iranian figures.

Researchers discovered that dozens of Telegram groups linked to the campaign were simultaneously encouraging protests in Iran while recycling inauthentic material. Some accounts even posed as Iranian women to lure real users into sharing their personal stories.

Experts note that the Israeli government has openly embraced Reza Pahlavi in hopes of legitimizing a campaign of regime change in Iran. Analysts warn, however, that Israel’s overt support for the shah’s son only strengthens the argument long made by Iranian officials—that hostile powers in Washington and Tel Aviv seek to restore a client monarchy in Tehran.

“Ultimately, Israel’s sponsorship of Pahlavi is a propaganda tool,” one Israeli analyst admitted. “It serves more for public relations than any realistic political alternative.”

The revelations demonstrate that Israel is conducting not only military strikes against Iran but also parallel digital warfare designed to manipulate Iranian public opinion, spread chaos, and undermine the Islamic Republic’s legitimacy.

The exposure of these operations underscores the extent to which Iran’s enemies rely on fabricated narratives and online deception to advance their political and military objectives.