• NesherAI, developed by Stellar Defense & Cyber Intelligence, is being used to identify masked pro-Palestinian activists, enabling authorities to revoke visas and facilitate deportations.
• CEO of Stellar Defense & Cyber Intelligence Eliyahu, Eliyahu Hawila, was exposed for using a fake identity, leading to an FBI investigation.
In a controversial move that has sparked outrage and concern among civil rights activists, a private intelligence firm has launched a high-tech campaign to identify and expose pro-Palestinian demonstrators in New York City. The initiative, dubbed “Operation Wrath of Zion,” is spearheaded by Stellar Defense & Cyber Intelligence, a little-known company that has developed an artificial intelligence-based facial recognition tool called NesherAI. The campaign, executed in partnership with the right-wing Zionist youth movement Betar, aims to assist U.S. immigration authorities in identifying and potentially deporting foreign students participating in protests against Israeli actions in Gaza.
NesherAI, named after the Hebrew word for “eagle,” is marketed as an advanced surveillance tool designed to track individuals deemed to be “terrorists, threat actors, and violent criminals.” According to Stellar Defense’s promotional materials, the AI-driven system can analyze masked faces and cross-reference them with online profiles to unmask the identities of individuals in real-time. While the company claims that the tool is meant to assist law enforcement and security agencies, its application in targeting political activists has raised significant ethical and legal questions.
The company behind NesherAI, Stellar Defense & Cyber Intelligence, operates under the brand “Terror Watch Agency,” whose ominous slogan reads: “The Eagle listens, The Eagle watches, The Eagle knows.” The firm’s CEO, Eliyahu Hawila, has a contentious personal history, having been exposed years ago for deceiving the New York ultra-Orthodox Jewish community by falsely claiming Jewish heritage despite being born to a Lebanese Muslim family.
The right-wing Zionist youth movement Betar has played a significant role in the campaign, using NesherAI to compile lists of pro-Palestinian activists. Betar, historically linked to Menachem Begin’s Irgun militia and known for its militant advocacy of Zionist causes, has taken a hardline stance against anti-Zionist activism in the United States. The group has openly collaborated with U.S. lawmakers, including Senators Ted Cruz and John Fetterman, to advance policies aimed at restricting pro-Palestinian activism.
Betar representatives have stated that their use of NesherAI is intended to support the Trump administration’s recent executive order, which allows for the cancellation of visas for foreign students involved in pro-Palestinian demonstrations. Ross Glick, Betar US’s executive director, has justified the initiative by arguing that while free speech is a protected right, visa-holding students do not have the same privileges as U.S. citizens when it comes to protesting what he calls “anti-Zionist narratives.” Glick further stated, “if a foreign student is here on a visa, they don’t have the same rights as others to protest or promote anti-Zionist narratives.”
The first publicized instance of NesherAI’s use occurred on January 30, when Betar announced it would deploy the tool at a vigil for Hind Rajab, a five-year-old Palestinian girl killed in Gaza. The vigil, held in New York City’s Zuccotti Park and co-organized by pro-Palestinian advocacy groups, was met with a counter-protest led by Betar members. Betar’s social media posts boasted about “documenting all attendees” and promised that even those wearing keffiyehs and masks would be identified. A chilling message accompanied the announcement: “Get out now.”
Shortly after the event, Betar and the Terror Watch Agency published the name of an identified protestor, Mohammad Alhmood, claiming he was exposed using NesherAI. Alhmood, however, dismissed the attempt, responding on social media: “Is that all you’ve got? My nephew can dig up more on me. Try harder lmao.”
Additionally, Stellar Defense & Cyber Intelligence’s YouTube channel contains a single video, published on January 17, titled “NesherAI In Action – Face Recognition.” The video, uploaded under the company name Stellar Technologies, purportedly demonstrates how NesherAI’s facial recognition technology works by uploading a photo of a pro-Palestinian protestor wearing a keffiyeh. The tool then displays the web profile of a Coldwell Banker Realty employee, including their full name, picture, role, and office address, raising significant privacy concerns. The pinned post on Terror Watch Agency’s X account proclaimed: “NesherAI has officially defeated their face mask counter-intelligence efforts. Months of them hiding their faces went down the drain!”
The deployment of NesherAI has drawn comparisons to authoritarian surveillance practices and raised alarms about the erosion of civil liberties. Critics argue that the use of facial recognition technology to identify and intimidate political activists is a dangerous precedent, particularly in a democracy that prides itself on free expression and protest rights.
Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, had previously banned Betar US from its platforms for similar harassment campaigns against student activists. However, Betar continues to operate on other social media platforms, using them to broadcast its activities and coordinate its efforts with like-minded groups and individuals.
Eliyahu Hawila, the CEO of Stellar Defense & Cyber Intelligence, previously made headlines for fabricating his identity. His deception unraveled when his now-ex-wife caught sight of his passport, which bore a different name than the one he had used in the New York ultra-Orthodox Jewish community. It was then revealed that his real name was Ali Hassan Hawila, a Lebanese Muslim born in the city of Tyre.
A 2021 profile in Tablet Magazine detailed Hawila’s long history of deception, stating that he misled his wife about his religious background, birthplace, and even his supposed employment with the National Security Agency. According to the report, when the couple married, Hawila went so far as to forge a congratulatory email from the NSA to solidify his fabricated identity.
After his true identity was exposed, the FBI launched an investigation to determine whether Hawila was infiltrating the Jewish community on behalf of an Islamic terrorist organization. However, authorities eventually dismissed these suspicions. Shortly after, in 2022, Hawila traveled to Israel during Passover weekend, claiming he intended to officially convert to Judaism. In later interviews, he alleged that he had since discovered his mother was of Jewish heritage.
Legal experts warn that Operation Wrath of Zion may run afoul of U.S. privacy laws, particularly if NesherAI is being used to collect and disseminate personal data without consent. Additionally, the partnership between Betar and Stellar Defense raises concerns about private entities taking on quasi-governmental surveillance roles without oversight.
As opposition to the campaign mounts, civil rights organizations and legal advocacy groups are exploring avenues to challenge the use of NesherAI and similar tools. The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) has called for an investigation into whether Betar and Stellar Defense’s actions violate laws governing data privacy and the rights of non-citizens to engage in political speech.
