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An online news website affiliated with Lebanese Hizbullah (LH) is publishing personally identifiable information (PII) of U.S. intelligence officers as part of a campaign targeting the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA). Since May 2023, the website has published a series of Arabic-language articles doxing seven former CIA officers, who, the outlet reported, have worked in the Middle East. The outlet says it plans to publish articles doxing a total of 60 CIA officers. "Doxing" consists of publishing a person's real name, home address, and other personal information without that person's permission.
The website's "top secret" website tab, which features articles targeting several retired CIA officers.
Citing New U.S. Embassy In Lebanon, Website Explains Doxing Campaign
The website explained the rationale for its doxing efforts in an introduction to the articles, writing: "Opening the issue of the new American embassy complex in Lebanon reiterates that the American presence in Lebanon and the region of West Asia is not limited to a diplomatic and military presence, but also a presence more dangerous than both of these, which is its intelligence presence. This kind of presence is the most influential and empowering for Washington to secure its interests and implement its projects in Lebanon and other countries in the region, all without leaving fingerprints and completely in the shadows. However, this shadow has not eluded the concerned parties in the axis of resistance, which have been able to direct harsh and humiliating strikes against the American military and intelligence presence in this region and in Lebanon particularly since the 1980s. In this context, the website is revealing, in a series of articles, the identities and information of 60 officers from the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), who have worked or are working now in the countries of the region."
Website Targets Retired CIA Officers
As of this report, the website has published articles profiling seven retired CIA officers.
Addresses, Phone Numbers, Work History, And Photos Of Officers' Spouses, Children
The website has detailed the employment history of the officers it doxed, including positions in the CIA and tours in the Middle East. The outlet speculates that at least one former officer was involved in the assassination of Imad Mughniyeh, a founder of LH. Additionally, the outlet has published PII of each officer, including their home and work addresses, Google Street view images of their residences, current employment information, telephone numbers, photos of friends and family members, birth dates, social media profiles, information on their extracurricular activities, and sensitive photos and information on their children, spouses, other relatives, and friends.