Meta disrupted a Iran-based Coordinated Inauthentic Behavior (CIB) network targeting Sub-Saharan Africa. This file contains indicators of compromise and a network summary from Meta’s Adversarial Threat Report H2 2026.
We disrupted a Coordinated Inauthentic Behavior network originating in Iran and targeting audiences in Nigeria and South Africa, as well as Kenya, Ethiopia, and Sudan. The operation maintained a cross-platform presence, including on X. We removed 23 Facebook accounts, 13 Pages, 1 Group, and 11 Instagram accounts for violating our policy against Coordinated Inauthentic Behavior. About 12,800 accounts followed one or more of these Pages, about 400 accounts followed this Group, and about 4,200 accounts followed one or more of these Instagram accounts. Meta’s investigation revealed links to actors in Iran.
The network employed sophisticated persona development, creating inauthentic accounts with specific activist identities, such as researchers, nurses, and women’s rights advocates. Operators used profile pictures of local individuals overlaid with activist symbols to gain credibility with target audiences and hide the Iranian origin of the accounts. The operation also invested in generating high-production-value content using artificial intelligence to create polished graphics aligned with the network’s narratives. To disseminate their content, operators posted into local activist Facebook Groups, managed localized Pages, and utilized inauthentic accounts to comment on the network’s posts to simulate popularity. The network employed advanced operational security, using proxy IP addresses and clean devices to minimize infrastructure-level overlaps. We observed that network operators systematically amplified narratives promoting anti-Western and anti-imperialist themes, supporting pro-Hamas activism, and advocating against African states normalizing diplomatic relations with Israel.
Note: URLs have been defanged for safety. Replace [.] with . to resolve.
| Indicator Type | Indicator Value |
|---|---|
| Social Media Account | http://x[.]com/fateemaahmad01 |
| Social Media Account | http://x[.]com/jameelar313 |
| Social Media Account | http://x[.]com/yarmama126412 |
| Social Media Account | http://x[.]com/lailahgabtee |
| Social Media Account | http://x[.]com/zainabnajad |
| Social Media Account | http://x[.]com/jameelaagabee |
| Social Media Account | http://x[.]com/rayhaner313 |