Digital rights experts have urged Lebanese residents to exercise caution after anonymous text messages invited recipients to join online "dialogue" with Israelis, warning that while the campaign does not appear to be malicious, it could be used to collect personal information from those who engage with it.
The SMS messages, sent on Tuesday evening by a sender identifying itself only as "Peace Talks", invited recipients to join a Zoom meeting described as a "historic conversation between Lebanese and Israeli citizens".
A second message urged people to "break the taboo" by taking part, while another link directed users to a Google Form inviting them to submit questions ahead of the discussion.
The campaign comes as Lebanon and Israel continue unprecedented direct negotiations despite Israel's continued bombardment and occupation of parts of southern Lebanon.
It also arrives amid growing debate over normalisation, which remains prohibited under Lebanon's 1955 boycott law banning contact and dealings with Israelis.
While the overwhelming majority of Lebanon's political parties continue to reject normalisation, some politicians, commentators and media figures, particularly within sections of the anti-Hezbollah camp and some right-wing Christian political circles, have increasingly advocated dialogue or eventual normalisation with Israel despite its ongoing aggression against Lebanon.
🇱🇧 — Des messages sont envoyés sur les téléphones des citoyens libanais, les encourageant à rejoindre une réunion Zoom avec l’ennemi israélien. #Liban #LibanSud #Zionism_IS_Nazism #Israel_Is_A_Terrorist_State pic.twitter.com/mx8Z0A8TFG
— Eyes_On_Lebanon 🇱🇧 (@EyesLebanon) July 7, 2026
Speaking to The New Arab , Mohamad Najem, executive director of the Beirut-based digital rights organisation SMEX, said the links themselves did not appear to be designed to compromise users' devices.
"The links that were sent are not malicious or have hacking attempts. They are simply a Google Form and a Zoom link, which might collect the user's email address if they engage with the content," Najem said.
The campaign appeared more likely to be aimed at promoting normalisation and identifying those willing to engage with it than at conducting a cyberattack.
"My assumption is that it is more promotional than targeting, from a party who wants to pay money to push for this kind of normalisation and try to collect some data from users who are willing to engage with such content," Najem said.
The identity of those behind the messages remains unknown.
However, Najem noted that the telecommunications operator responsible for distributing the messages should be able to identify the entity that purchased the SMS campaign.
"Who is behind the ads should be known by the operator, so if anyone is pushing ads the company will be known," he said.
While simply opening the links is unlikely to compromise a device, engaging with the campaign could still expose personal information.
According to Najem, users who join the Zoom meeting or complete the Google Form may disclose their email addresses and voluntarily provide information that could reveal their political views or willingness to engage in dialogue with Israelis.
Administrators of online platforms may also obtain users' IP addresses when they join online meetings or submit forms, particularly if they are logged into their Google accounts.
The campaign appears to serve several purposes, including gauging Lebanese public opinion on normalisation with Israel or gathering personal information from individuals willing to participate.
It has sparked widespread concern on Lebanese social media, where users circulated screenshots of the messages and warned others not to click the links or share personal information.
A source in Lebanon's telecommunications ministry told The New Arab it was unaware of the campaign and was investigating the claims.