Shin Bet: Lebanese tried to recruit Palestinians for terror via TikTok

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The Shin Bet security agency on Thursday said it had recently discovered attempts by a Lebanese former Hezbollah fighter to recruit Palestinians for terror through the TikTok mobile app. According to the agency, two men from East Jerusalem were arrested on charges of alleged links to a man “Abu Ghassan.”

According to the Shin Bet, Abu Ghassan instructed the detainees to conduct surveillance in Israel, since both have Israeli identity cards. The agency said they “photographed locations in Israel, with a focus on Jerusalem, to carry out terrorist attacks.”
Shin Bet reported that Abu Ghassan, a former Hezbollah fighter was supposed to contact potential fighters in East Jerusalem and the West Bank via TikTok.

“At the beginning of the conversation, Abu Ghassan focused on personal matters and general discussions, such as the situation in Jerusalem and conflicts between Jews and Arabs” ;, – the agency says. “Later, within the framework of the characteristic for “Hezbollah” recruitment process, Abu Ghassan transfers the conversation to Telegram. There he asks for tasks such as taking photos and videos in Israel as a possible target for attack.

“Over time, as communication between the parties strengthens, Abu Ghassan instructs his operatives to initiate terrorist attacks against Israeli citizens.” ;, adds the agency.

The Shin Bet said it was considering attempts to recruit Israelis for terror “seriously”, adding that it “calls for vigilance online in light of the threat posed by various terrorist elements on social networks”.

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