Israel's Shin Bet security agency announced on Thursday that numerous social-media accounts used in a 'foreign influence campaign' have been removed ahead of the country's election on Tuesday, the Jerusalem Post reported. The agency said it worked with the Cyber Department in the State Attorney's Office and the Central Elections Committee to identify the accounts.

Source: Jerusalem Post via Israel Realtime

'As part of the joint effort to safeguard the integrity of the elections and thwart attempts at improper foreign influence, these accounts were removed from the internet,' the Shin Bet said in its statement, carried by multiple Israeli outlets including i24NEWS. The agency said it would continue to work to preserve the integrity of the elections and the democratic process.

The Shin Bet did not say in the reports which foreign power was behind the accounts, how many accounts were removed beyond describing them as 'numerous', or which platforms they were on. Sky News Arabia also reported the takedown on Thursday, describing rising Israeli fears of foreign interference ahead of the vote.

Source: Sky News Arabia via Project Push (reporting the Shin Bet announcement)

During prior elections, Shin Bet and other officials named Russia, Iran and China as the top interfering parties, JBizNews noted in its report of Thursday's announcement — that is background from earlier cycles, not an attribution for this week's accounts, which the agency left unnamed.

The takedown lands in the final days of a security-dominated campaign for Tuesday's Knesset election, in which Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's handling of the wars in Gaza, Lebanon and Iran and his rivals' pledges on Hamas and Hezbollah have been central themes, according to campaign coverage this week.