French Authorities Probe Alleged Israeli Disinformation Campaign Against Pro-Palestine Candidates
French intelligence agencies are investigating a suspected election interference operation linked BlackCore, an Israeli information warfare firm accused of orchestrating a covert smear campaign against three mayoral candidates from France Unbowed (LFI), the left-wing political party aligned with presidential frontrunner Jean-Luc Melenchon. The targets Sebastien Delogu in Marseille, Francois Piquemal in Toulouse, and David Guiraud in Roubaix all draw critical of Israel’s military campaign in Gaza.
According to reports first published by Reuters and later corroborated by Le Monde, the campaign allegedly relied on fabricated social media profiles, QR code street stunts, and AI-generated compromising material. In Marseille, Delogu faced pseudonymous rape allegations propelled by a blog posing as “Sophie.” Parallel efforts in Toulouse and Roubaix used bot networks to circulate defamatory claims about Piquemal, while fabricated voting guides framed LFI as a threat to secularism, aiming to alienate moderate Muslim voters and non-Muslim independents.
An investigation by France’s Liberation and Israel’s Haaretz traced the operation to BlackCore, which advertised itself as an elite digital influence platform before its website went offline following media exposure. Independent domain analysis revealed BlackCore’s web infrastructure was hosted alongside Galacticos and SNI, two Israeli technology firms linked to entrepreneur Guy Geyor and lawyer Doron Afik. Both men have denied direct involvement, though records show Galacticos developed tools used to mass-produce fake accounts and hosted them on servers in London.
The probe highlights a broader pattern of Israeli private intelligence firms operating in European electoral spaces. Black Cube, another Israeli company staffed by former IDF and Mossad veterans, has been linked to interference operations in Cyprus and Slovenia, where it reportedly recorded political associates to tarnish rivals and sway parliamentary outcomes. Legal experts note that covert recording frequently operates in regulatory gray areas, particularly when crossing borders under the European Union’s GDPR framework.
French Interior Minister Laurent Nunez confirmed on parliament that criminal proceedings will target BlackCore, with authorities working to identify the patron who commissioned the operation. Israel’s Foreign Ministry has issued statements denying knowledge of the firm or its activities. In response to the revelations, Melenchon has urged Paris to enact stricter laws against foreign election meddling, warning that similar operations will likely target the upcoming presidential cycle. The mixed electoral outcomes for the targeted candidates have only deepened calls for transparency and accountability in France’s digital political landscape.