From Leaflets to Digital Tools: A Brief History of Israeli Psychological Warfare

On Friday, March 13, as part of the psychological warfare Israel is waging against Lebanon, Israeli occupation forces dropped leaflets over Beirut, including the neighborhoods of Hamra, Verdun, Mar Elias, and Barbour, calling on residents to disarm Hezbollah. The leaflets implicitly warn that so-called evacuation notices — which are in effect forced displacement orders — and bombardment will follow if the group is not disarmed, and urge residents to share intelligence with Israel through scannable QR codes.

“If you want to be part of real change and contribute to the prosperity and protection of your country, we are here to listen,” the leaflet reads, followed by two QR codes.

The leaflets also feature a mock newspaper design on the back, titled “The New Reality,” claiming it has reached Beirut after “resounding success” in Gaza, with the headline: “Where is our country heading?”

The front of the leaflets claims that Unit 504, an Israeli military intelligence unit, is working to “ensure Lebanon’s future,” and asks Lebanese citizens to join the effort by scanning a QR code. Unit 504, formally known as the Human Intelligence Division, conducts clandestine operations and has been repeatedly accused of torturing prisoners of war. It is also tasked with recruiting collaborators.

While Israel has historically dropped leaflets over different parts of Lebanon, threatening Hezbollah or warning towns and villages to evacuate, this is the first time such leaflets have been dropped over Beirut since the war was renewed on March 2.

Israeli occupation forces first dropped leaflets over Lebanon after the 1982 invasion, warning civilians against aiding the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) and, later, against aiding the growing Lebanese resistance. The leaflets also ordered the PLO and the Syrian army to leave Beirut along designated routes. In 1996, during the 16-day May War, the settler-colony dropped leaflets over dozens of villages in south Lebanon, warning residents to evacuate ahead of attacks and causing the displacement of about 400,000 people. In 2005, Israel dropped leaflets over the southern city of Sour in an attempt to stir discontent against Hezbollah and the Iranian and Syrian governments. Throughout the 2006 war, the Israeli military dropped many different leaflets on a near-daily basis, issuing displacement orders and using racist caricatures that depicted former Hezbollah secretary general Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah as a puppet, a genie, and a snake.

During Israel’s last war on Lebanon from 2023 to 2024, occupation forces also dropped leaflets ordering evacuations and inciting against Hezbollah. And as technology has evolved, so have the methods Israel uses to reach the Lebanese public. The 2006 war marked the first time Israel created a website to spread similar messaging, calling on people to share intelligence about Hezbollah in exchange for money.

The Israeli military has also expanded its use of drones beyond surveillance and bombardment to include psychological warfare, using them to deliver audio warnings and threats.

The QR codes and links on the leaflets should be treated with extreme caution. Such codes can direct users to websites that collect personal information or location data, or install malicious software for surveillance.

“People should avoid scanning QR codes found on military pamphlets or sent through messages coming from Israel since they may lead to websites that collect information like IP addresses, phone data, or location,” says Mohamad Najem, executive director of digital rights organization SMEX, in a message to The Public Source. He adds that such links could “expose users to malicious downloads, tracking tools, or targeted messaging.”

Najem explains QR codes can conceal the destination website, making it difficult to verify who operates it, what data it collects, and how the data may be used. For online security, “people should treat the QR code as untrustworthy and avoid interacting with it,” he says.

After the Israeli military dropped the leaflets, the Lebanese army issued a statement warning the public against scanning the QR codes or clicking on any links, saying the material “carries legal and security risks.”

These leaflets mark the latest attempt by Israeli occupation forces to cultivate human intelligence inside the country, increasingly through digital channels. Under Lebanese law, communicating with or providing information to Israel is a criminal offense.