Israel-related conspiracy theories encompass a range of conspiracy theories about the State of Israel, its government, its military, its intelligence services, and itsJewish citizens, attributing to them malicious intent and exaggerated powers or technological development. They follow the pattern of otherconspiracy theories, often while incorporatingantisemitic tropes.
Zoological conspiracy theories involvingIsrael are occasionally found in the media or on theInternet, typically inMuslim-majority countries, alleging use of animals to attack civilians or conductespionage. These conspiracies are often reported as evidence of aZionist or Israeli plot.[1]
Examples include theDecember 2010 shark attacks in Egypt,Hezbollah claims of capturing Israeli spying eagles,[2] and the 2011 capture inSaudi Arabia of agriffon vulture carrying aGPS wildlife tracking device which was said to be part of a "Zionist plot", a claim dismissed by Israeli wildlife officials as ludicrous.[3]
Birds and other animals are often tagged withGPS tracking devices or identification bands to record their movements foranimal migration tracking and similar reasons. Thehigh-resolution tracks available from a GPS-enabled system can potentially allow for tighter control of animal-bornecommunicable diseases such as theH5N1 strain ofavian influenza.[4]
According to an avian ecologist for theIsrael's Nature and Parks Authority, the idea that tagged birds are used for spying is absurd. "Birds and other wildlife belongs to all of us and we have to cooperate," he stated. "Ignorance causes these stupid beliefs that they are used for spying."[5]
In 2013, a kestrel carrying an Israeli foot band was discovered by villagers in theElazığ Province, Turkey. Initially, medical personnel atFirat University identified the bird as an "Israeli Spy" in their registration documents, butX-ray scans and other tests found no electronic equipment.[6] No charges were filed and the kestrel was freed and allowed to continue its flight.[7]
In May 2012, a deadEuropean bee-eater with an Israeli leg-band, used by naturalists to track migratory birds, was found near the southeastern Turkish city ofGaziantep. The villagers worried that the bird was carrying a micro-chip fromIsraeli intelligence and alerted local officials. The head of the Agriculture and Livestock Provincial Directorate in Gaziantep examined the corpse and stated that "the nose of the bird is very different and much lighter than others" and that it "can be used for audio and video," which, "in the case of Israel, they do."[8] A counter-terrorism unit that was called in assured villagers that it was common to equip migratory birds with rings in order to track their movements.
BBC correspondent,Jonathan Head, described the incident as part of the "wildly implausible conspiracy theories" that take root in Turkey, with "alleged Israeli plots among the most widely believed."[9]
In December 2012, aSudanese newspaper reported that the Sudan government had captured avulture in the town of Kereinek, which they said was an Israeli spy bird and was tagged inHebrew and equipped with electronic devices.[10][11]
Ohad Hazofe, the avian ecologist, told Israeli news siteYnet: "This is a young vulture that was tagged, along with 100 others, in October. He has two wing bands and a German-made GPS chip." Hazofe denied that the device had any photographic capabilities.[12] In an interview withCNN, he stated that "I'm not an intelligence expert, but what would be learned from putting a camera onto a vulture? You cannot control it. It's not adrone that you can send where you want. What would be the benefit of watching a vulture eat the insides of a deadcamel?"[13]
In 2013,Hezbollah claimed that an Israeli spying eagle had been captured in Lebanon.[2] They claimed that the eagle was one of many birds sent by Israel to spy and gather information via GPS transmitters across the Middle East.Tel Aviv University responded: "[T]his morning, the media reported on an Israeli 'spy" that was caught by Hezbollah. The 'spy' is a predatory fowl that was part of a research project conducted by Tel Aviv University on raptors".[15][check quotation syntax]The eagle that had been shot down, and delivered to Hezbollah, was a young and endangeredBonelli's eagle.[16] Israeli ornithologist Yossi Leshem said he was tracking the bird for research and was "incredibly frustrated" it was killed. "Unfortunately, this bird made the stupid mistake of moving to Lebanon".[16] "It's not enough that they kill people, now they are killing birds too".[14]
A rare taggedeagle from theGolan HeightsGamla nature reserve that was captured bySyrian opposition forces and first suspected of carrying electronic espionage devices was then returned to Israel on 5 September 2017, as a gesture in recognition of the medical treatment Israel has provided to Syrians during theSyrian Civil War.[17]
Thegriffon vulture has nearly disappeared from the mountains of Israel and is the subject of areintroduction project. As part of that project, vultures are tagged with radios and labels to keep track of the population.
In 2011, a griffon vulture with a wingspan of about 8 feet (2.4 m) was caught by a hunter nearHa'il,Saudi Arabia wearing a GPS device and a "Tel Aviv University" leg tag. Rumors spread among locals, repeated in some Saudi newspapers, that the bird was sent by Israel to spy on the country.[18][19][3][20]
PrinceBandar bin Sultan, then Secretary General of theSaudi National Security Council, dismissed the rumors, said the equipment on the bird was simply there for scientific study, and that the bird would be quickly released. Saudi wildlife authorities agreed that the equipment was for solely scientific purposes. "Some Saudi journalists rushed in carrying the news of this bird for the sake of getting a scoop without checking the information… they should have asked the competent authorities about the bird before publishing such news," Bandar said at the time.[21] Israeli officials described the rumor as "ludicrous" and said they were "stunned."[3]
A spokesman for Israel's Park and Nature Authority told the Israeli dailyMa'ariv that Israeli scientists use GPS devices to trackmigration routes. "The device does nothing more than receive and store basic data about the bird's whereabouts," he said.[3][22] The Israeli ornithologist Yossi Leshem of Tel Aviv University said that this was the third such detention of a bird tracked by Israeli scientists in three decades. He reported that Sudanese authorities detained anEgyptian vulture in the late 1970s, and awhite pelican in the early 1980s, both carrying Israeli equipment used foranimal migration tracking.[23][24]
In January 2016, a griffon vulture with an Israeli tag was captured by residents of the Lebanese village ofBint Jbeil on suspicion of espionage after flying four kilometers (2.5 miles) across the border. The bird was tied by rope and, according to Lebanese security officials, checked for listening devices.[25] The bird was later repatriated to Israel byUN peacekeepers.[26]
In December 2010, severalshark attacks occurred off the SouthSinai resort ofSharm el-Sheikh inEgypt.
Following the attacks, in an interview onTawfik Okasha's popular but controversialEgypt Today television show, a Captain Mustafa Ismail, introduced as "a famous diver," alleged that theGPS tracking device found on one of thesharks was in fact a "guiding device" planted by Israeli agents.[27][28] Prompted in a television interview for comments, the governor ofSouth Sinai, Mohammad Abdul Fadhil Shousha, initially said: "What is being said about theMossad throwing the deadly shark [in the sea] to hit tourism in Egypt is not out of the question. But it needs time to confirm."[29][30] TheIsraeli foreign ministry, in response, suggested that Shousha had seen "Jaws one time too many."[31] The governor later dismissed any connection between the event and Israel.[32]
Describing the conspiracy connection to Israel as "sad," Professor Mahmoud Hanafy, a marine biologist atSuez Canal University, pointed out that GPS devices are used by marine biologists to track sharks, not to remote-control them.[27][33][34] Egyptian officials suggested that the attacks were due to overfishing, illegal feeding, the dumping overboard of sheep carcasses, or unusually high water temperatures.
Amr Yossef, adjunct professor of political science at theAmerican University in Cairo, wrote that this and other similar conspiracy theories result from a misconception among the Egyptian public that Israel is all-powerful. Yossef wrote, "Notwithstanding that such allegations have no factual or logical grounds, no one stops to ask why should an Israel facing serious security challenges (Iran,Hamas,Hezbollah, etc.) busy itself with that kind of stuff."[35]
Mammals have been used by theIsrael Defense Forces since its inception in 1948.[36] Pack animals such as mules and camels are used to negotiate rough terrain and haul equipment. The IDF conducts special operations training withllamas that are able to hide soldiers from heat-detection devices.Anti-tank dogs were used inOperation Blue and Brown, a 1988 attack on the headquarters of thePopular Front for the Liberation of Palestine – General Command in Lebanon. Antelope andoryxes have been introduced to Israeli army bases to clear vegetation whileBarbary sheep are used to guard ammunition depots.[36] Among the mammals that have been cited in Israel-related animal conspiracy theories areswine,hyenas,rodents, and adolphin.
The first accusation that Israel employs dolphins for espionage was made on 19 August 2015 when theIzz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades of Hamas claimed they captured one wearing cameras and other equipment off theGaza coast.[37][38]
Iran'sFars News Agency called it instead an "Israeli-made robot dolphin equipped with espionage equipment, including video-recording cameras."[39]
"Israel did not just stop at the bloody attacks against the Gaza Strip," the Arabic-language Palestinian dailyal-Quds reported. "Now it has recruited a watery pet, the dolphin, known for his friendship with humans, to use for operations to kill Qassam Brigade Naval Commandos."[40] TheIsrael Defense Forces did not respond to the accusation, butForeign Policy magazine noted that while "dolphins have been used by various militaries, including by both theUnited States andRussia, this report likely falls into what is a surprisingly fertile genre of conspiracy theories: the notion that Israeli intelligence routinely uses all manner of birds and other animals as tools of espionage."[41] Nonetheless, in January 2022, a masked spokesman for the al-Qassam Brigades claimed in a video message that Israeli security forces had recently used another dolphin to chase Hamas frogmen off the coast of the Gaza Strip.[42]
On several occasions,Palestinian National Authority presidentMahmoud Abbas accused Israel of releasingwild boars to destroy agricultural fields in theWest Bank in order to cause damage to produce and intimidate Palestinian farmers.[43] "Every night, they release wildpigs against us," Abbas was quoted as saying in one speech. An Israeli government official rejected the allegations, commenting that "It's a pity the Palestinian Authority president chooses to propagate such rubbish, and it raises questions about his real position on Israel."[44] On 5 May 2016, a 10-year-old Palestinian girl was bitten on the hand by a wild boar[45][46] and suffered shock as a result. Palestinians blamed Israeli settlers for deliberately releasing boars in the West Bank to deliberately attack villagers as a way to keep them off their land,[46] while others claimed that theIsraeli West Bank barrier "affected the habitat of wild boars, possibly leading to higher concentrations of the animal's population in certain areas."[45] "Using wild boars is part of an olderZionist imperative to colonize nature," claimed Palestinian researcher Rawan Samamreh.[47]
Allegations involving rats was on the news on 13 March 2018, when Jordanian TV host Dr. Bakr Al-Abadi told his viewers on Jordanian Prime TV:
"The Zionist entity gathered all the rats carrying theBubonic plague inNorway, and released them in all the Egyptian provinces near the Sinai. According to several Egyptian sources, this operation took place in 1967, and these rats still exist in very large numbers. These rats breed very quickly and cause significant harm to crops. They devour these crops very quickly, and destroy grain silos. Even children are not safe from them. These rats often bite children's limbs. According to these sources, the Zionist entity, since the beginning of the normalization of its ties withCairo, managed to smuggle chemical fertilizers and rotten seeds into Egypt, leading to the destruction of vast areas of soil and crops in Egypt. This is a well-planned strategic operation, with both short-term and long-term implications, but the clear goal is to annihilate theArab world."[48]
On 27 December 2022,Al-Hayat Al-Jadida, the official newspaper of the Palestinian National Authority, reported that Rushd Morrar, a village elder of Khirbet Yanun nearNablus, claimed that Israelicattle are "recruited and trained" spies. "These are recruited and trained cattle, as on the neck of each cow they hang a medallion with an eavesdropping and recording device on it, and sometimes cameras, in order to monitor every detail in Khirbet Yanun large and small," he said, and repeated the assertion that "settlers release herds of wild boars" to destroy Palestinian crops.[49]
In February 2018,Hassan Firouzabadi, a military advisor to Iranian supreme leaderAli Khamenei, accused Western countries, including Israel, of spying on Iranian nuclear sites using lizards and chameleons, which according to him attract "atomic waves."[50] "We found out that their skin attracts atomic waves and that they were nuclear spies who wanted to find out where inside theIslamic Republic of Iran we have uranium mines and where we are engaged in atomic activities," he said.[51]
Some Israel-related animal conspiracy theories invokesuperstition,conspiracy theories,folk religious beliefs, andantisemitic tropes in the context ofmodern warfare by referencing magical creatures.
For example, an interviewer in a 2014 broadcast onIRIB askedIranian cleric Valiollah Naghipourfar if Israel was usingjinn to collect military intelligence. Naghipourfar answered in the affirmative, "The Jew is very practiced in sorcery. Indeed most sorcerers are Jews."[52]
In a March 2020 televised address,Supreme Leader of IranAli Khamenei claimed thatMossad was "usingdemons" and that "the Jews are experts at sorcery and at creating relationships with demons." He accused Israel and the United States of working with jinn to create theCOVID-19 virus, and announced that he would not accept related international aid.[53][54][55]
In 2021, Mohammad Bagheri, a novelist affiliated with theIslamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, wrote that Israeli intelligence operations use "magic,talismans, genie devils, andKabbalah teachings."[56]
In March 2023, Naghipourfar claimed that the intelligence services of Iran had repelled an attempted infiltration by Israel that had been "conducted via jinn."[57]
Masaf Institute directorAli Akbar Raeefipour has claimed that "Mossad has formal 'supernatural units' which operate to wage psychic warfare and read minds," remarking that they employed those forces to win the2006 war in Lebanon. Iranian cleric Mojtaba Azizi confirmed in 2024 that both theCentral Intelligence Agency and Israel employ jinn in their missions, adding that Iran had the ability to use friendly jinn to combat them.[58][56]
Iranian cleric Mostafa Karami told reporters in a televised interview that theIsrael Defense Forces were able to killHassan Nasrallah and many otherHezbollah leaders inSeptember 2024 by harnessing jinn. "[The Jews] have had access to genies and cosmic science since the time ofDavid andSolomon. Historically, they have always used genies, their documents and traditions proved that. They have used genies and demons for warfare and intelligence operations throughout history."[59]
In July 2025, Abdullah Ganji, a senior Iranian official and former editor of a newspaper linked to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, told 150,000 followers onX that after theIran-Israel War, "a few sheets of paper were found on the streets ofTehran containing talismans with Jewish symbols." He added, "In the first year of the Gaza war, news had also leaked about[Benjamin] Netanyahu meeting withoccult specialists. ... A few years ago, the Supreme Leader had stated that hostile countries and Western and Hebrew intelligence services use occult sciences and jinn entities forespionage." Ganji's claims were supported by Israeli entertainer and professedpsychicUri Geller. "The circumstances in Iran were so mysterious and so bizarre that the Iranian government realized that this cannot happen with mechanical means or cyberattacks," Geller toldThe Jerusalem Post. "They cannot happen with anything known to the human mind from a scientific point of view. They came to the conclusion that it was something supernatural, and they were basically right."[60][61]
Former Iranian government spokesmanAbdollah Ramezanzadeh has criticized the claims of the use of jinn by the Israeli military as distractions from legitimate security threats. Author Ali Bozorgian commented sardonically upon the discussion of jinn warfare, "The situation is strange. You wake up and realize the Jinns ofKaraj have been defeated by the Jinns ofTel Aviv."[62]
The officialFarsi X account for Mossad responded to the 2025 allegations by Ganji by posting, "Using drugs and talking to the jinn are not desirable traits for someone leading a country."[63]
Writing inThe Times,James Hider linked the responses to the shark incident with those to the vulture incident and ascribed the reactions in Arab countries to "paranoia among Israel's enemies and its nominal friends," adding that "evidence of Mossad using animals is scant."[64]
Jackson Diehl ofThe Washington Post also linked the two events, writing that Arab media and officials who circulate fantasies of Mossad sharks and spy birds "deserve to be mocked." While mentioningBret Stephens' theory, that the conspiracy theories are an example of "the debasement of the Arab mind," Diehl wrote that the paranoia in fact has also a more benign explanation, since Israel's real covert operations "are almost as fantastic as the fantasies."[24]
In 2011, Jihad el Khazen of the Lebanese newspaperDar Al Hayat published a column analyzing recent animal-related conspiracy theories, explaining that the concept of conspiracy is not particular to Arabs. According toDar Al Hayat, people "always look for explanations that suit their prejudices or whims, even as such explanations often give truth, logic and reason a slap in the face."[65]
Gil Yaron wrote inThe Toronto Star that "Many animals undoubtedly serve in Israel's army and security services: dogs sniff out bombs and alpaca help mountaineers carry their loads. [...] But tales about the use of sharks, birds, rodents or, as has also been claimed, insects in the service of the military are more the fruit of imagination than hard fact."[18]