WASHINGTON (Dispatches) -- A recent investigation has uncovered an unsuccessful Israeli intelligence operation targeting Iranians for recruitment, using an American comedian’s social media presence as a cover and the exiled son of Iran’s former U.S.-backed monarch as a key figure.
The report, published by independent outlet Grayzone, revealed that the campaign aimed to lure Iranian nuclear scientists, security officials, and others into betraying their country’s Islamic government. Central to the effort were Persian-language advertisements run by Atlanta-based comedian Desi Banks, who boasts over nine million Instagram followers.
Google ad transparency records show Banks Productions LLC launched at least four recruitment campaigns in Persian across 19 countries, including the United States, Germany, and several West Asian nations. Some ads explicitly invited viewers to join Israel’s spy agency Mossad, directing them to Persian-language recruitment forms hosted on official portals. The advertisements urged potential recruits to activate virtual private network (VPN) services to evade surveillance.
A significant portion of the ads targeted Iranian expatriates in Germany, including relatives of nuclear scientists, with slogans like “You are just one click away from making history. Call Now. The future belongs to you.”
The campaign also encouraged the sharing of content from Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s adviser Hananya Naftali and echoed subversive narratives promoted by Reza Pahlavi, the son of Iran’s former monarch, who enjoys Western and Israeli backing.
Grayzone noted the operation heavily relied on a Telegram channel called Blue Message, which purported to recruit elite Iranian security personnel. However, engagement appeared limited, with a July poll receiving minimal responses and an October survey on X mocking the effort, with respondents dismissing the campaign as a “waste of money” and condemning Israel as “child killers.”