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A new analysis of social media activity during the early days of Operation Epic Fury suggests that much of the online reaction and anti-Israel content may not have been driven by Americans at all.
The report identified narratives repeated by foreign-based accounts, claiming that the operation was a “betrayal of MAGA”, “highly unpopular with the American people” and was carried out “on behalf of Israel”.
According to research conducted by Argyle Consulting Group, a private intelligence and data analysis firm, sixty percent of the most viral posts mentioning “Iran” on X during its first week of operation originated from accounts based outside the United States – despite often presenting themselves as American voices.
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“These are not just random opinions,” Aron Wasker, CEO and co-founder of Argyle Consulting Group, told Fox News Digital.
Wasker said, “What we’re seeing is discourse that looks American – written in English, using American political language – but is actually coming from outside the country … It’s almost impossible for a regular user to detect.” He went on to explain that the accounts “look very American” and reflect domestic political language and debate.
A new analysis of social media activity during the early days of Operation Epic Fury suggests that much of the online reaction and anti-Israel content may not have been driven by Americans at all. (Lori Van Buren/Times Union)
The analysis examined 100 highly X viral posts between February 28 and March 7 – each with more than 10,000 shares. Overall, posts containing the word “Iran” generated 98 million posts, 696.4 million interactions, and an estimated 1.5 trillion potential views, making it one of the largest online information events on record.
Foreign accounts alone generated 155.6 million views, while US-based accounts generated 93.4 million views, more than the 60 million views in the sample.
What’s even more shocking is that every single foreign-based post in the dataset was negative toward the operation, while the only supportive content came from US-based users, Argyle found.
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Argyle found that seven of the top 10 accounts with the most influential voices driving engagement were based outside the United States, including accounts from Russia, the United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom, and South Asia. (Rashid Omar Abbasi for Fox News Digital)
JP Castellanos, Binary Defense director of threat intelligence and former member of U.S. Central Command’s active cyber defense team, said most of the activity is focused on Israel and connecting disruption with messaging.
“About 42% of the attacks that we’re seeing or claims that we’re seeing online are directed toward Israel,” Castellanos said.
He also pointed to doxxing campaigns and AI-generated videos, which are “fundamentally trying to shape the information space.”
Much of the challenge, Castellanos said, is distinguishing real cyber incidents from exaggerated online claims by attention-seeking hacktivist groups.
“A lot of times, these are just claims that they put online,” he said.
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Cyber threat analysts say there is widespread activity by pro-Iranian and affiliated groups in the digital sphere, as well as an online narrative campaign. (Rashid Omar Abbasi for Fox News Digital)
The researchers said the scale, consistency and geographic spread of the message point to a coordinated effort rather than an organic global debate.
Cyber threat analysts say there is widespread activity by pro-Iranian and affiliated groups in the digital sphere, as well as an online narrative campaign.
One of the most prominent groups to emerge in the current conflict is Handala, an Iran-linked hacking operation that has claimed responsibility for attacks on both U.S. and Israeli targets, Castellanos said.
Of the most influential voices driving engagement, seven of the top 10 accounts were based outside the United States, including accounts from Russia, the United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom, and South Asia.
US officials and cybersecurity firms have linked Handala to Iran’s intelligence and security ministry, describing it as part of a broader effort to combine cyberattacks with psychological and information operations.
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The report identified narratives repeated by foreign-based accounts, claiming that the operation was a “betrayal of MAGA”, “highly unpopular with the American people” and was carried out “on behalf of Israel”. (Asra Q. Nomani/Fox News Digital)
Cybersecurity researchers told Fox News that the digital hoax is part of a broader network of Iran-aligned and pro-Russia hacktivist groups that have organized since the beginning of the war, and are mixing disruptive cyber activity with online narrative-shaping campaigns.
Fox News Digital contacted X several times and provided a list of related accounts as requested, but has not yet received a response.
