The deepening crisis in West Asia as Israel engages in war on multiple fronts has sent alarm bells ringing for the Indian intel agencies which said the conflict has resulted in a rising trend of online radicalisation among credulous youth, a report published by New Indian Express said while quoting sources.
The intel agencies have cautioned the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) through its report to the Multi-Agency Centre (MAC), highlighting that there is a dramatic increase in the consumption of what could be described as hate literature that portrays Israeli retaliation against attacks on its sovereignty as “genocide” against Muslims.
The report citing Indian intelligence agencies states such “hate literature” and provocative online content designed to whip up resentment among Indian youths are being spread by notorious elements across the United States and Europe through newly created websites, which should be monitored and promptly blocked.
It also said the escalating conflict in the Middle East is also impacting the Shia communities in India, especially with Israel’s war with Hezbollah, a terror group supported by a Shia-majority Iran. On the other hand, in Gaza, Israel is fighting the terrorists belonging to the Hamas, a predominantly Sunni terror group. Abnormal online traffic promoting attacks and abuse against Israel, and America have been observed in areas like Lucknow, Leh, Ladakh, Delhi, and Hyderabad.
While radicalisation among Indian Shias had been negligent up until now, the recent conflict has changed that, the report said. “Anti-America” and ‘Anti-Israel” sentiments have risen among youth, posing the challenges of growing multi-dimensional radicalisation faced by the Indian security apparatus.
The intel reports asserted that such development has never been witnessed in India before, highlighting the unprecedented practice of collection of funds in Shia-dominated pockets in India to fund the ongoing war against Israel in Lebanon and Gaza. Some NGOs, the intel report said, are offering services to provide financial assistance to those fighting in Lebanon and Gaza.
The report comes a year after the horrifying October 7 attacks led by Hamas terrorists that plunged into a crisis that it is yet to recover from. After the October 7 attacks, Israel launched retaliatory attacks to rescue abducted civilians and decimate the Hamas leadership responsible for engineering the raids that claimed the lives of over 1,200 Israelis.
As Israel pounded Gaza with bombs and conducted ground operations to achieve its military objectives, Hezbollah started firing missiles to its north in solidarity with Hamas. Israel hit back by assassinating Hassan Nasrallah, the chief of Hezbollah, last month, giving a new dimension to the conflict that seems to have no end in sight. Following Nasrallah’s killing, Iran launched hundreds of projectiles against Israeli cities, including Tel Aviv and Jerusalem, which were neutralised by the famed Iron Dome missile shields, designed to intercept short-range rockets, as well as shells and mortars.
