A long-running influence operation spanning 30 countries has been exposed by researchers, uncovering a sophisticated network that promoted racist, Islamophobic, and anti-Qatar content. With an estimated budget exceeding $11 million, the campaign marks one of the most significant digital disinformation efforts ever documented, according to academics Marc Owen Jones of Northwestern University’s Doha campus and independent researcher Sohan Dsouza. According to it detailed an operation that likely cost more than $11m and was carried out across 30 countries, including in Europe, the United, And Lebanon.
The study, published on Thursday, indicates that the operation strategically aligned its output with national electoral schedules. In France, advertisement activity peaked in the months leading up to the June 2024 European Parliament elections, while in the United Kingdom, coordinated buying ceased on May 17, 2024, just before the national election was called. Researchers warned that the network remains functional in countries like Italy and France, which are anticipating major elections in 2027. Which took three years, was published on Thursday, the investigation. According to one example, also, By French newspaper Le Monde, looked at how the campaign had targeted France and found that “a historical analysis of the ads pushed by the campaign’s backers suggests that they repeatedly sought to align with national electoral calendars”, the newspaper said. “Its sustained promotion of anti-Muslim and anti-migrant narratives raises concerns about attempts to shape the political environment ahead of these votes, beyond the formal election campaign period,” they added. Four days before the US and Israel launched their war on the country, the investigation found, the ads first began running on February 24.
By utilizing the framework of the Great Replacement conspiracy theory—the false narrative that white populations are being systematically replaced by immigrants—the ads positioned Qatar as a malevolent architect of migration.
Jones noted that the campaign mirrored anti-Semitic tropes involving George Soros, portraying Qatar as a hidden power attempting to “Islamise” Europe.
Additionally, the operation promoted regime change narratives regarding Iran to European audiences, with ads launching just days before major military escalations in the region.
Technical evidence points toward an origin within Israel, with researchers assigning the findings a “moderate to high confidence” rating. Analysis of metadata revealed that video editors operated within the Israeli time zone and utilized hardware configured with Hebrew folder and drive names.
This campaign aligns with broader recent patterns of hostility toward Qatar. Last month, Haaretz reported that Israeli political advisers and influence experts executed a secret project targeting Doha following the October 7, 2023, Hamas-led attacks. Israeli officials have frequently adopted a confrontational stance; former Prime Minister Naftali Bennett has publicly advocated for declaring Qatar an enemy state.
Most recently, the Likud party, led by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, alleged without providing evidence that Doha interfered in Israeli elections. The Qatari Foreign Ministry has firmly rejected these claims, labeling them a coordinated “disinformation campaign.” As the findings continue to gain scrutiny, the scope of the operation highlights how digital disinformation is being used to manipulate geopolitical sentiments and domestic political stability across the globe.
