Iran, Incitement, and the Internet | How Geopolitical Conflict Reflects Online Antisemitism

In the wake of the ongoing Iran-Israel conflict, a troubling but familiar pattern has re-emerged online. Across platforms like TikTok, Facebook, and X, users are once using digital spaces to post antisemitic rhetoric, incitement to violence, and coded hate speech — at times under the guise of political commentary or religious solidarity.

But this isn’t a new phenomenon. It’s a continuation of what CyberWell has been documenting for the past several years: a persistent overlap between moments of geopolitical crisis and waves of online antisemitism. Each new flashpoint acts as a trigger for dangerous digital discourse that can quickly spill into real-world harm.

From Tehran to TikTok: Antisemitism Disguised as Political Discourse

As with previous escalations, some social media users are taking advantage of the current conflict to promote antisemitic hate speech masked as Iran-related political critique. CyberWell’s preliminary monitoring shows posts in Arabic, Farsi, and English that:

• Call for violence against all Israelis, regardless of identity or affiliation
• Target Jewish communities globally, portraying Jews as collectively responsible for Israel’s actions
• Use coded language, such as substituting “Zionists” in clear contexts of antisemitic incitement — a violation of both TikTok’s and Meta’s community standards

Unlike in the past where CyberWell’s research team detected a fair amount of content generated by inauthentic networks or bots, our monitoring efforts thus far indicate that a higher amount than usual of this content is being posted by ordinary users — many of them using real identities — illustrating that the online hate is real.

A Recurring Symbol of Incitement: The “Khaybar” Chant

One particularly persistent element in antisemitic content is the chant: “Khaybar, Khaybar, O Jews.” (“Khaybar, Khaybar, Ya Yahud.”)

The chant “Khaybar, Khaybar, O Jews” refers to a 7th-century battle in Khaybar, a Jewish town in what is now Saudi Arabia, where Muslim forces defeated and massacred the Jewish population. Though rooted in history, the chant has been used for decades as a call for violence against Jews — and in today’s context, it’s widely used by antisemites to glorify that violence and call for its repetition.

The chant is often heard at rallies and circulates on social media, frequently paired with content glorifying attacks or calling for further aggression.

Once again, prompted by the latest escalation involving Iran, this antisemitic chant has reemerged online—often alongside explicit encouragement of the violence, as seen in the example below.

This is not new—it’s a long-standing form of incitement that resurfaces during periods of conflict. Today, its reappearance online serves as a clear warning sign of rising antisemitic threat, making proactive platform enforcement urgent.

CyberWell has documented the chant being used to:

• Celebrate recent acts of terror
• Promote religiously framed violence
• Signal ideological approval of further escalation

“Khaybar” Chants: Significant Online Growth Amid the War

The recent bump in use of the “Khaybar, Khaybar Ya Zion” slogan – which is the Farsi version of “Khaybar, Khaybar Ya Yahud” – on social media is part of a broader pattern of online escalation during moments of geopolitical conflict. Over the past 13 months, this version of the chant—widely recognized as a call for violence against Jews—averaged just 15 tweets per day on X (formerly Twitter). However, on the first day of the current military operation between Israel and Iran, that number jumped to 480 tweets—a 3,100% increase. By June 18, six days into the conflict, it reached a new high of 1,061 tweets in a single day, marking a 6,973% increase. In total, since the operation began and through June 18, 2025, the slogan has appeared in 3,276 tweets, generated 25,500 engagements, and had a potential reach of 2.9 million accounts. This means that nearly 20% of the slogan’s total reach over the past year occurred in just under a week.

For comparison, the more commonly used Arabic version, “Khaybar, Khaybar Ya Yahud,” averaged 74 posts per day over the past year. During the first three days of the current operation, daily use surged to 599, 607, and 326 posts respectively, before gradually declining back toward the average. Overall, this slogan in Arabic appeared in 29,400 posts over the past 13 months, generating 221,800 engagements and a potential reach of 27.4 million. In the first week of the current conflict alone, it was used in 1,897 posts, with 6,000 engagements and a reach of 2.5 million.

For the first time, CyberWell observed that the Farsi version of the chant surpassed the Arabic version in terms of reach. Our analysts also noted significant overlap in the audiences engaging with both versions. The last comparable spike in use of “Khaybar, Khaybar Ya Zion” occurred on October 4, 2024, following a speech by Iran’s Supreme Leader calling for the destruction of Israel.

Glorifying Violence Against Civilians

Since the recent escalation between Iran and Israel, CyberWell has also documented online content that directly glorifies violence against civilians. Across multiple platforms, users have celebrated attacks targeting non-combatants—sometimes with graphic imagery, praise for the attackers, and calls for more bloodshed. This content is shared publicly, without anonymity. In many cases, it frames the killing of civilians as heroic or divinely sanctioned, turning acts of terror into material for viral content. This normalization of violence is especially dangerous during wartime, as it reduces empathy, incites further aggression, and increases the risk of real-world attacks against Jewish and Israeli individuals around the world.

From Online Extremism to Real-World Attacks

CyberWell’s work is grounded in the understanding that online hate does not stay online. It influences, legitimizes, and sometimes directly inspires real-world violence. This has become tragically clear in recent weeks.

• In Washington, D.C., two Israeli embassy staff were shot and killed outside the Capital Jewish Museum on May 21. The assailant reportedly shouted “Free Palestine” during the attack. (You can view that our alert here: https://cyberwell.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/Antisemitic-Incitement-Hate-Online-_-Aftermath-of-the-Capital-Jewish-Museum-Shooting-in-Washington.pdf)
• Less than two weeks later, in Boulder, Colorado, a group participating in a Jewish solidarity walk was attacked with Molotov cocktails and a makeshift flamethrower. Multiple people were injured in what investigators confirmed was an antisemitic hate crime.

These are not isolated incidents. They are part of a dangerous, recurring cycle that CyberWell has repeatedly warned about: inflammatory content spreads online, fueling real-world hate and violence. Each act of violence or hate speech online reinforces the next, creating a self-perpetuating loop. This pattern must be recognized and addressed not as a series of separate events, but as a systemic threat.

Platform Action Is Improving — But the Threat Persists

Platforms like Meta, TikTok, and X have taken down much of the content flagged by CyberWell, and we commend their responsiveness; but the adaptability and sheer volume of this content require a more proactive approach.

We recommend:

• Flagging the “Khaybar” chant and variations as a high-risk incitement marker
• Contextual moderation for coded antisemitic terms like “Zionists” when used to call for violence or dehumanization
• Prioritizing protection of vulnerable communities during geopolitical crises

Jewish Communities Bear the Burden

What’s most disturbing is how normalized this content has become. Jewish communities around the world are enduring heightened tension, fear, and violence — not just during major conflicts, but consistently over the past two years. The current escalation has simply intensified a pressure that was already mounting.

What We Can Do

CyberWell exists to help platforms respond more quickly, more accurately, and more effectively to online antisemitism. We offer real-time alerts, multilingual monitoring, and deep contextual expertise that tech companies often lack internally.

As the situation continues to unfold, we will be on the alert, monitoring our online spaces and working to keep violent incitement and virulent Jew-hatred off our most used platforms and apps.

But this problem is bigger than any one platform. It requires a coordinated response — from tech companies, civil society, and everyday users — to push back against the normalization of hate.

The internet doesn’t just reflect what’s happening in the world. It accelerates it. And right now, it’s accelerating a rising tide of hate that has proven to be extremely dangerous.

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CyberWell is an independent nonprofit dedicated to tracking and combating online antisemitism in real time. As a Trusted Partner to major platforms, we provide frontline research and strategic support to help enforce community guidelines and protect vulnerable users.