"Communication covers the media": analysis of the characteristics of gathering information from the Israeli media, its translation, and publication by Hezbollah: the al-A'hed website as a test case.

Abstract

Hezbollah has been active in the media since its inception. This article seeks to characterize a meeting between two efforts of Hezbollah in this space: publishing information on its behalf on the variety of platforms it operates and collecting information from the Israeli media. As part of the research, approximately 600 articles examined that Hezbollah collected from the Israeli media, translated, and published as part of the Ein ila al-aa'do section of the al-A'hed website belonging to the organization. By examining the content of the articles and tagging them according to keywords, the article presents the degree of prevalence of the various contents in the articles translated and published by Hezbollah as a basis for analyzing the contribution of this activity to the organization both on the intelligence level, of gathering visible information for the needs of the organization and on the level of consciousness, of echoing relevant messages to the Lebanese and Arab target audience according to the organization's interests. In this way, the article adds another layer to understanding Hezbollah's media activity. It is a test case for the contribution of this activity for the non-state or sub-state actors in their struggle against a democratic state in an asymmetrical campaign.