Hezbollah and Israel Engage in Psychological Warfare Amid Military Conflict

A report by Ahmad Abdallah, English adaptation by Nadine Sassine

Through military action and bombardment, Hezbollah and Israel are engaged in a war of attrition. However, this conflict is not fought with weapons alone. Alongside the battlefield, both sides have initiated a fierce psychological war, wielding videos, rumors, and media as their weapons.

Hezbollah's release of the Hudhud drone video and subsequent clips addressed "to whom it may concern" had a significant impact within Israel. Similarly, Tel Aviv's threats since the onset of the al-Aqsa Flood, targeting Beirut, state facilities, and all of Lebanon, have made a mark on the Lebanese domestic front. This culminated in The Telegraph's report alleging that Hezbollah was using Beirut Airport as a storage for weapons arriving from Iran.

Although The Telegraph did not entirely deny the report, it modified it twice, eventually changing the headline from "Hezbollah Stores Missiles and Explosives at Beirut Airport" to "Beirut airport bosses deny it is being used to store Hezbollah weapons." This was in addition to denial statements from sources like the International Air Transport Association, which parts of the article had relied on.

Before this article, the rumor mill was active. One rumor attributed to Reuters claimed that the Israeli army would launch a military operation on Lebanon within 48 hours, which the agency denied. Another rumor suggested Canada was conducting the largest evacuation in its history of 45,000 Canadians from Beirut, which was refuted by the Canadian embassy. Additionally, a fabricated report bearing Al Jazeera's logo claimed that the ambassadors of the UK, France, Italy, Germany, and Sweden were leaving Lebanon, which the ambassadors themselves and Information Minister Ziad Makari denied.

This is not the first time psychological warfare has been employed during conflicts. Israel is not the only entity using media to increase pressure on its adversaries. ISIS is noted for its extensive use of psychological warfare, such as publicly beheading and even burning captives, which instilled fear and panic among its opponents' followers.

In the midst of war and psychological battles, verifying the sources and accuracy of information has become more than just a duty.