The main Twitter and Facebook accounts representing terrorist group Hezbollah were reportedly shut down over the weekend.
Ynet reported that Hezbollah announced over Telegram, an encrypted messaging app, that its main social media pages had been suddenly shut down. According to the Times of Israel, Hezbollah said the page deletions were “part of the propaganda campaign against the resistance due to the important role of the organization’s information apparatus in various arenas.”
Despite the pages being shut down, Hezbollah reportedly assured supporters there were already backup pages available. As of Ynet’s reporting, the backup Hezbollah page already had amassed approximately 4,700 followers.
As the Times of Israel noted, the account closures come after Israeli Public Security Minister Gilad Erdan sent a letter to Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey claiming the site can face prosecution if it does not close down the accounts of terrorist organizations, including Hamas and Hezbollah.
In May, a Twitter spokesperson told the Media Research Center that Hamas’ account does not violate the site’s ban on violent extremist groups, as Hamas is democratically-elected.
According to the U.S. Department of State, Hezbollah has been labeled a terrorist group since 1997.
