With every crisis our region endures, we sadly find that the only thing evolving in how these situations are handled is the tools of misinformation. It’s as though the profiteers of crisis and deception are eagerly awaiting each new technological advance to further entrench their falsehoods.
Misinformation itself is nothing new, and I’m not here to recount its history. But one of the most notable disinformation campaigns in our region - one that many of today’s observers may not have experienced - took place following the assassination of the late RafiK Hariri.
That campaign revolved around a video featuring an alleged suicide bomber known as Abu Adas. It was heavily promoted in the media as part of a misleading effort to sway justice and public opinion. Later investigations revealed that Hariri had been assassinated by a car bomb carried out by “terrorists” affiliated with Hezbollah.
The same Hezbollah - along with the now-defunct Assad regime - systematically created fake news websites to disseminate their narratives. Some of this was done through party-affiliated media outlets. In fact, they rushed to launch a satellite TV channel at the onset of the Syrian revolution to spread lies and disinformation.
Today, traditional satellite channels - despite their abundance and repeated failings - are no longer necessary for such campaigns. Social media, especially X (formerly Twitter), has become the primary platform for spreading falsehoods. Back in 2009, I referred to this phenomenon as “news laundering.”
Now, in light of the manufactured crises facing the emerging Syrian state, social media has turned into a vast battleground for disinformation campaigns. These aren’t just run by anonymous accounts, as journalists, intellectuals, and public figures also take part. Some do so deliberately, and there are many. Others simply rush to share unverified news.
A clear example: amid the current unrest in Sweida, Syria, specialized monitoring and private sources report that around 10,000 new accounts are being created every day on X in Iraq, Lebanon, and Iran, all aiming to inflame tensions in Syria.
In addition, 250,000 pre-existing accounts, operating from Lebanon alone, are actively involved in incitement against Syria. I highlighted this on X a few days ago. Through continued expert monitoring, I can confirm that other geographic sources are involved as well.
According to informed sources, some of the countries mentioned above maintain dedicated facilities to manage these operations. The most prominent is located in Beirut’s southern suburbs, often referred to as the “Beirut Room”, which several sources (including Iranian ones) have identified as the central hub for coordinating regional disinformation campaigns.
But the responsibility doesn’t lie with these actors alone. There’s an even more dangerous player in the misinformation arena, which is the Muslim Brotherhood. For decades, this group has engaged in all forms of deception across countless domains and platforms.
The same is true of Al-Qaeda, ISIS, and similar groups on the Shiite side of the spectrum. Add to that the hostile regimes that reject the concept of statehood and actively promote sectarian strife and all forms of division.
For this reason, it’s time to confront this misinformation head-on, not randomly, but through structured institutional action. The Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) should take the lead. It is the region’s most effective, organized, and targeted coalition, and its allies are under threat too.
When Europe, and before it the United States, came under attack from disinformation and fake news, they acted swiftly to counter it.
Likewise, we must act now, not by silencing voices, but through a comprehensive public awareness campaign and by establishing robust institutions capable of countering dangerous disinformation campaigns that threaten security, economic stability, and most importantly, civil peace.
