Who knows Moshe Yair? The journalist who invented Hezbollah's secretary-general - and the mockery in Lebanon

Hezbollah Secretary-General Naim Qassem quoted in a speech a fake article attributed to 'Moshe Yair' from 'Yedioth Ahronoth', who does not exist. In Lebanon, they mocked him and asked if he was part of the invention. The article was first published in June on the 'Al-Haqa'iq' website.

In a speech marking the 20th anniversary of the Second Lebanon War, delivered on Friday evening, Hezbollah Secretary-General Naim Qassem quoted an article attributed to 'Moshe Yair', a purported columnist for 'Yedioth Ahronoth'. Qassem used the quote to bolster the claim that Israel is exploiting the naivety of the Lebanese government. However, the figure does not exist, and the article is fake news that has been circulating online for two months. On Al-Manar, the channel affiliated with Hezbollah, the remarks were omitted from the speech transcript, but they remained in the video. Arab media outlets and networks, especially those opposed to Hezbollah, mocked Qassem. Lebanon's MTV channel wrote that the article and its author do not exist, and that it is an invention of the axis's mouthpieces. Lebanese journalist Sawsan Mahanna wrote on X, asking where Moshe Yair is being hidden. An investigation revealed that the text was published on June 10 on the 'Al-Haqa'iq' website and attributed to 'Moshe Meir'.