French Foreign Ministry Reportedly Links Israeli Accounts to Hostile Riot Narratives

An internal French Foreign Ministry assessment reportedly attributes substantial online amplification of France's October unrest to accounts associated with Israeli officials, government bodies, media and influencers. The assessment, disclosed in reports on November 9, alleges that Israeli and US Make America Great Again movement accounts promoted narratives connecting the riots with radical Islamism and immigration. For October 16–18, the assessment reportedly counted more than 35 million views for the 10 most-viewed X posts from the Israeli accounts it examined. The corresponding 10 posts associated with the MAGA movement, including officials, media and influencers, exceeded 49 million views over the same three days. The leading 10 posts from pro-Russian circles received about 2.8 million views. A separate internal European Union assessment reportedly identified the Russian network Operation Overload as circulating videos that impersonated Western news reporting. Examples included false allegations that migrants had raped protesters and that terrorist attacks were imminent. That assessment described efforts to weaken France's leadership, deepen divisions and undermine support for Ukraine. The EU assessment reportedly found no evidence that foreign actors initiated or escalated the protests. The assertions in the French and EU documents could not be independently verified. Israel's Foreign Ministry and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office had not responded to requests for comment reported in the coverage.