Iran-funded Hezbollah terrorists building a media empire

 

Iran-funded Hezbollah building a media empire

http://freebeacon.com/cyber-propaganda/

 

BY: Adam Kredo     

April 26, 2013 1:30 pm

 

The Lebanese terror group Hezbollah has positioned itself as the most

influential extremist group on the Internet in recent years and operates

more than 20 websites in seven different languages across the globe,

according to an Israeli intelligence organization.

 

Hezbollah's efforts are directly funded by Iran and its expanding reach is a

sign the group's global influence is swelling as other terror fronts like al

Qaeda see their influence wane, according to a recent report issued by the

Meir Amit Intelligence and Terrorism Information Center, an Israeli research

organization that investigates terrorists.

 

"For Hezbollah, its cyberspace presence is of great importance and is

considered by both Hezbollah and Iran as an important weapon in the battle

for hearts and minds," the report stated.

 

Iran's involvement in Hezbollah's migration to the Internet is evidence the

regime is continuing its efforts to exert control over anti-American and

anti-Israeli terrorist groups across the world, the report continues.

 

The majority of Hezbollah's websites "receive technical support from

Internet companies in the United States, Europe (Britain, France), and

Lebanon," the Meir center learned.

 

"The propaganda and information strategy of Hezbollah's websites is uniform

and both serves the organization and promotes Iran's ideology and political

agenda," the report states. "In our assessment, media strategy is formulated

by Hassan Nasrallah and the Hezbollah leadership, based on overall Iranian

strategy. Hezbollah's media policy is coordinated with Iran, whose policies

and considerations are well known to senior Hezbollah figures."

 

Hezbollah and Iran use the media network to disseminate "internal

information" as well as for "indoctrination" purposes, according to the

report.

 

The terror group runs several different types of websites, including some

aimed at the young, while others disseminate anti-Semitic and anti-Israel

propaganda.

 

"In our assessment, Iran supports the development and maintenance of

Hezbollah's Internet presence and media empire, which exceed, both in extent

and capabilities, Hezbollah's needs in Lebanon per se," the report states.

"In addition, Iran itself operates two Farsi websites devoted to Hezbollah."

 

Hezbollah uses Lebanese front groups to ensure activities are not be traced

back to the terror group in order to get these sites on American and

European Internet networks.

 

"In our assessment, using front men and Lebanese Internet intermediaries,

like frequently changing ISPs, has three objectives: The first is to blur,

insofar as is possible, Hezbollah's ties to the websites and prevent the

ISPs from connecting it to them," the report states.

 

"The second is to make it difficult for the authorities in the United States

and other Western countries to shut the sites down (the United States is

especially problematic for Hezbollah, where Hezbollah is designated as a

terrorist organization and where in the past law enforcement authorities

used measures against Hezbollah media)," it continues. "The third is to

prevent cyber attacks."

 

Additionally, Hezbollah owns television and radio station.

 

"Today, Hezbollah's vast media network includes a satellite television

channel (Al-Manar TV), a radio station (Radio Nur), the press

(Al-Ahad/Al-Intiqad), and network of websites," the report states.

"Hezbollah also uses the social networks, YouTube and various Lebanese media

which it does not own but which are affiliated with it, to publicize its

positions and policies (for example, the newspaper Al-Akhbar and the

Al-Mayadeen TV channel)."

 

Hezbollah's Internet sites "appear in seven languages, the most important of

which is Arabic, the language of the Lebanese and Arab target audiences,"

the report found.

 

"Until recently, they appeared in Arabic, English, French, Farsi, and

Hebrew," as well as in "Azeri and Spanish," according to the Meir center.

 

The addition of Azeri and Spanish is a sign Hezbollah and Iran are

attempting to indoctrinate vulnerable populations in Latin America.

 

"Through Hezbollah's Internet network, Azeri and Spanish-speaking

populations are exposed to anti-West, anti-Israeli and pro-terrorism

incitement, with Iranian orientation," the report concludes.

 

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