Gulf states warn of legal penalties in sharing of Iran strikes footage

MILAN — Government authorities in the Gulf states have warned residents and tourists that publishing visual content of Iran-launched strikes online could result in legal consequences, including fines of tens of thousands of dollars and possible imprisonment.

Social media sites have been flooded in recent days with frantic footage from content creators, travelers and locals in the region showing, in part, incoming missiles and drones being destroyed over different cities.

On March 3, the Dubai Police issued a public advisory as an image reading “Think before you share – spreading rumors is a crime," cautioning that sharing false information or content that could compromise public safety could result in penalties of at least 200,000 AED ($54,458) and two years of prison time.

Last week, Bahrain’s Ministry of Interior announced that at least two individuals, aged 27 and 37, were arrested for “misusing social media platforms” over the recording of Iranian strikes.

“The suspects filmed and broadcast live content and video clips, which they later shared through their social media accounts in a manner that constituted a legal violation and could harm security as well as provoke public opinion. … The necessary legal procedures are now underway,” the ministry said in a statement.

In a similar move, Kuwait’s Ministry of Interior urged residents to refrain from recording the neutralization of aerial threats as well as authorities in the line of duty, as this might “incite anxiety” among the population and spread misinformation. Non-compliance with this directive may entail “legal measures,” the ministry said in a statement published on X.

The Qatari Ministry of Interior has come out with a similar warning.

These regulations are not uncommon, especially in active combat zones and nearby areas, to maintain operational security and avoid endangering defensive positions.

In the early days of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Ukrainian security forces warned citizens not to film or distribute videos of enemy strikes that could be used by Moscow to improve its attacks.

To demonstrate how dangerous such footage could be, in 2022, the Ukrainian government shared the story of an individual who shared a video of a kamikaze drone attack, where clear damage to a critical infrastructure facility was visible.

“My friends spread this on the Internet, then it was used by propaganda [Russian] media to conduct special information and psychological operations against Ukraine. … I realize that my video materials could have been used to adjust the accuracy of the strikes,” the government statement quoting the individual said.

Iran has continued to carry out drone and ballistic missiles targeting American forces and infrastructure in Gulf countries, with one Iranian unmanned aerial vehicle striking the U.S. Consulate in Dubai on March 3.

Elisabeth Gosselin-Malo was a Europe correspondent for Defense News. She covers a wide range of topics related to military procurement and international security, and specializes in reporting on the aviation sector. She is based in Milan, Italy.

米兰——海湾国家的政府当局警告居民和游客，在网上发布伊朗发动的袭击的视觉内容可能会导致法律后果，包括数万美元的罚款和可能的监禁。

近日，社交媒体上充斥着来自该地区的内容创作者、旅行者和当地居民的惊恐视频，视频中部分内容显示来袭导弹和无人机在不同城市上空被摧毁。

3月3日，迪拜警方发布了一张图片，上面写着“分享前请三思——散布谣言是犯罪行为”，警告说，分享虚假信息或可能危害公共安全的内容，可能会被处以至少20万迪拉姆（54458美元）的罚款和两年监禁。

上周，巴林内政部宣布，至少有两名年龄分别为 27 岁和 37 岁的人士因“滥用社交媒体平台”录制伊朗空袭而被捕。

该部在一份声明中表示：“嫌疑人拍摄并直播了内容和视频片段，随后通过社交媒体账户分享，这种行为构成违法，可能危害公共安全并煽动舆论。……目前，必要的法律程序正在进行中。”

科威特内政部也采取了类似举措，敦促居民不要拍摄清除空中威胁的行动以及执法人员执行公务的画面，因为这可能会“引发民众焦虑”并传播虚假信息。该部在一份发表于X网站的声明中表示，不遵守此项指令可能会受到“法律制裁”。

卡塔尔内政部也发布了类似的警告。

这些规定并不罕见，尤其是在活跃的战区和附近地区，目的是维护作战安全，避免危及防御阵地。

在俄罗斯入侵乌克兰初期，乌克兰安全部队警告公民不要拍摄或传播敌方袭击的视频，以免莫斯科利用这些视频改进其袭击手段。

为了说明此类视频的危险性，2022 年，乌克兰政府分享了一段视频，视频中一名男子分享了一段神风特攻队无人机袭击的画面，视频中可以明显看到关键基础设施遭到破坏。

“我的朋友们把这些内容发布到网上，然后被（俄罗斯）宣传媒体利用，对乌克兰开展了特别的信息战和心理战……我意识到我的视频素材可能被用来调整空袭的精准度，”政府声明援引该人士的话说。

伊朗继续使用无人机和弹道导弹袭击海湾国家的美国军队和基础设施，其中一架伊朗无人机于 3 月 3 日袭击了美国驻迪拜领事馆。

伊丽莎白·戈斯林-马洛曾任《防务新闻》欧洲通讯员。她的报道涵盖军事采购和国际安全等广泛领域，尤其擅长航空领域的报道。她常驻意大利米兰。