Google suspends ‘influencer’ recruiting Iranians for Mossad

Google confirmed yesterday, 20 January 2026, that it has suspended the ad account of US comedian and ‘influencer’ Desi Banks after ‘egregious’ violations of its terms. For several months, Banks’s ‘Desi Banks Productions LLC’ had been running an ad campaign recruiting “family members of Iranian government officials as agents of Israel’s foreign intelligence service”. The suspension was exposed by the Grayzone‘s Max Blumenthal and independent journalist Jack Poulson.

The suspension led to the disappearance of “numerous” Mossad recruiting ads. Google did not confirm which policies had been violated.

Israeli intelligence still runs a number of recruiting channels, through its ‘X’ account, a Telegram channel and a Google form, as well as ads masquerading – ironically – as child safety advice or beauty product ads. Alongside family members of Iranian officials, Mossad ads on Banks’s site targeted LGBTQ Iranians in the US and Europe. The ads also ran on X, with one highlighted by Blumenthal last autumn:

Here’s one of the Mossad ads seeking Iranians willing to destabilize their own government for a handsome payout

Known as Blue Message, the Israel spy recruitment campaign was promoted through social media channels like @payameabi

Anyone know the actor? https://t.co/fS9z8TuYsR pic.twitter.com/ZvQtNog82Y

— Max Blumenthal (@MaxBlumenthal) September 8, 2025

Mossad tentacles

Banks did not respond to journalists’ enquiries. Instead he posted on X about life “throw[ing] crazy things” at him. One sarcastic respondent replied:

When you get outed as a Mossad collaborator, just post through it king.

The response to Banks’s tactic was reminiscent of the derision directed at UK faux-left, pro-war hack Paul Mason after Mason was exposed, also by the Grayzone, collaborating with UK intelligence to try to bring down left-wing sites and groups.

Featured image via the Canary