Information war in West Asia and lessons for India

The first battle is for attention, and it begins on the phone screen. The side that seizes it shapes much of what follows: TV debate, newspaper framing and diplomatic chatter

- Syed Akbaruddin

In the online world, audiences do not gather around one official message. They gather around language that feels native to their mood.

(AFP)

The first sign of a foreign policy crisis for many Indians no longer comes from South Block. It comes asa forwarded video. By the time the government explains the crisis, the public has absorbed it as emotion.

The war in West Asia is being fought not only over territory, airspace, and sea lanes. It is also over first impressions. The first battle is for attention, and it begins on the phone screen. The side that seizes it shapes much of what follows: Television debate, newspaper framing and diplomatic chatter.

Iran understood that when traditional outlets shut you out, social media can still get your message in front of people. It relied not just on official statements or ideological rhetoric but also on memes, short videos, AI-generated visuals, English-language humour, images of civilian suffering, and the language of sovereignty and resistance. Tehran tailored its message to different audiences. To the Global South, it presented itself as a State under attack. To parts of the Arab public, it cast itself as a symbol of anti-western defiance. To western audiences, it framed the conflict as American overreach, often using images of civilian suffering to claim moral injury.

Iran also used irony, satire, and internet culture rather than doctrine to engage younger audiences online. Despite American and Israeli military superiority, Iran often proved more agile in shaping the online narrative of the crisis.