Israeli soldiers disguised themselves as pro-Palestinian protesters to dupe students into talking with them as part of a propaganda operation across US university campuses.

The student – who had found the soldier’s social media account on her phone – asked him to confirm he was a first sergeant in the Israel Defense Forces (IDF).

The soldier, Adi Karni, said he was, and explained that the ruse was intended to get people to talk to him, since they would not usually want to listen to an Israel supporter.