Israeli General Sends Threats to Indonesia as Hoaxes Spread
An online report claiming that an Israeli general threatened Indonesia over the Iran conflict has gone viral. The story is a hoax that has been recycled and circulated across media outlets. Ulta Levenia, an academic and international relations analyst, reiterated on her Instagram account on Thursday evening that the information is a deliberately fabricated hoax intended to create unrest and discredit the government.
Levenia urged the public to improve digital literacy and exercise critical thinking to avoid being swept up in propaganda and disinformation that could trigger public unease.
‘Disinformation and propaganda today are extremely dangerous. Even a professor who supposedly studied abroad can still fall into the ’Batman trap’ of disinformation and hoaxes,’ she said.
According to her, in recent days a narrative has circulated on social media claiming an Israeli general named Jacob Ariel Ashabi threatened Indonesia not to involve itself in the Iran conflict, or Indonesia would be attacked by Israel. However, upon verification, the figure cited in the narrative does not exist. ‘This is a hoax. The general named Jacob Ariel Ashabi does not exist. The actual person is Aviv Kochavi, who has indeed held posts in the Israel Defense Forces,’ she explained.
Levenia noted that the photo of an Israeli military figure appears to have been manipulated and paired with a dramatic threat to instil fear and unrest among the public. ‘The photo was taken and then given such a title with propaganda that is designed to be terrifying. Its aim is to create a tense atmosphere and to pressure the government further,’ she said.
She considered that the aim of disseminating such hoaxes is not merely to seek sensationalism but also to influence public opinion to pressure Indonesia’s government in its handling of the international conflict.
‘Many have been taken in by this hoax. Some have amplified the propaganda statements. Even the academic mentioned earlier has participated in inflating the claims,’ she added. Levenia also regretted that a number of educated circles had multiplied the narrative without verification.
In her view, the possibility of intelligence operations in global geopolitics always exists. Yet the dissemination of hoaxes like this is clearly intentional by individuals irresponsibly seeking to cause panic. ‘If Mossad agents or other intelligence agents are indeed present in Indonesia, that might be because such operations exist. But hoaxes like this are clearly deliberate, crafted by irresponsible actors to cause panic,’ she emphasised.
She urged the public to be wiser in receiving and disseminating information, especially in the social media era where information can spread virally very quickly. ‘So, stop spreading this hoax now,’ she concluded. (H-2)
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