Moshe Yair is fine for Qassem but Barakat is branded a traitor after Netanyahu used his words

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reposted a video by Lebanese media figure Mohammad Barakat about Ali al-Taher and later cited it at a press conference, using the clip within his political messaging on Lebanon.

The repost quickly triggered accusations of betrayal against Barakat. But the logic is inconsistent: Hezbollah Secretary-General Naim Qassem had previously cited remarks attributed to an alleged Israeli writer, “Moshe Yair,” and supporters argued that quoting someone does not mean endorsing their views. Reporting later found no reliable evidence that the writer or article existed as presented.

By that same standard, Netanyahu could turn any Lebanese voice into a target simply by reposting it. The result is a climate where the speaker is blamed not for what they said, but for how an adversary chose to use it.