False Flag (TV series)

False Flag (Hebrew: כפולים, romanized: Kfulim, lit. 'Doubles') is an Israeli television thriller drama series. Directed by Oded Ruskin and starring Ishai Golan, the plot involves five ordinary Israelis who wake up one morning and discover that their names, faces, and personal details have been splashed across the world’s media on suspicion of involvement in a high-profile kidnapping.

The series was first broadcast in Israel on Channel 2. It premiered on 29 October 2015 and was followed by a second season that premiered on 21 November 2018. The third season was broadcast on Channel 12 on 23 March 2022.

A remake of the series starring Uma Thurman, called Suspicion, aired on Apple TV+ in February 2022.

The story revolves around five ordinary Israeli citizens who discover one morning via the media that they are the principal suspects of a high-profile kidnapping and are implicated as culprits in the kidnapping. They are involved in a brutal kidnapping of the Iranian minister of defense, Farhead Sulimani, during his visit to Moscow on 15 April 2015, having arrived in the country earlier that day from London under an alias and using one of several passports. According to the Russian Federal Security Service (FSB), Sulimani was drugged. Widespread speculation, which Russian police allegations support, is that he was killed by the Israeli Mossad in a secret mission.

News channels around the world cover the incident while broadcasting the footage of the kidnapping, the five Israelis soon become wanted and their personal details, including their passports photos, are shown on the media and TV channels around the world.

The unceasing news coverage causes an uproar in the suspects' lives and mixed feelings from their surroundings and the public. Their attempts to deny their involvement are in vain. The Mossad and the Israeli government leave them to deal with it on their own instead of providing protection. It's not long before they undermine their credibility. Later, even their closest friends begin to distrust them. Although eventually it is discovered that they are not that innocent.^[1]

The focus shifts to a new incident and a fresh set of suspects. The opening scene features a grand inauguration of a new oil pipeline linking Israel to Turkey, during which a powerful explosion rocks the ceremony and kills several people, including government officials.

The blast becomes instantly labelled as terrorism, thrusting ordinary citizens into an international crisis.

Eitan Kopel (Leon) is summoned to lead the investigation, working alongside his former Shin Bet colleague Eli (Cohen).

They probe the explosion’s causes, looking into possible involvement by Hezbollah, tensions over territorial waters, and security vulnerabilities at the oil rig.

The narrative then zeroes in on three new suspects whose lives unravel as the fallout deepens. These individuals are seemingly model citizens— a startup professional, a rig worker with marine engineering training, and a tour guide—yet their disappearance in the explosion thrusts their families into chaos.

As investigators dig deeper, secrets shake the trust within these family units, revealing hidden loyalties, lies, and connections that expose more than just innocence or guilt.

Meanwhile, a returning character from Season 1, Sean Tilson (Bonanni), reappears with unresolved debts and murky ties to the unfolding events, adding layers of suspense and personal stakes.

As the season progresses, the investigation leads to confrontations, betrayals, and unexpected alliances. In the final episodes, Eitan and Eli close in on the true mastermind behind the explosion, and the characters must confront whether they were pawns in a larger conspiracy or active agents in the crime.^[1]

The story centers around a chemical attack at a hotel during a corporate party for an Israeli high‑tech company, prompting an urgent international and political fallout. Eitan Kopel, a Mossad investigator from previous seasons, is sent to Cyprus to lead the inquiry.

The investigation is complicated by the use of sophisticated data analysis which identifies three employees of the tech firm as primary suspects. Each of them has secrets, possible motives, and potential connections to the event, but evidence is murky and the trail is tangled.

As Kopel delves deeper, questions arise: Was this a planned terrorist attack? A targeted individual’s assassination? Or a catastrophic misunderstanding gone wrong? The boundaries between guilt and innocence blur, and Eitan must navigate not only technical data and intelligence sources but also corporate cover‑ups, personal betrayals, and public perception.

Throughout the season, Season 3 also emphasizes the impact of modern digital technologies—big data, social media, and how information (or misinformation) shapes the narrative. The morally gray character arcs are magnified: even those considered “ordinary employees” are shown to have hidden dimensions, and trust becomes a scarce commodity.

By the end, the resolution is less about clear answers and more about understanding how easily truth is distorted, especially in a world driven by rapid bits of information, agendas, and competing narratives. Eitan’s investigation closes many threads but leaves room for reflection: are we ever really sure who is telling the truth?^[2]

• Ishai Golan as Ben "Benny" Rephael – A chemist and a family man, an Israeli with a Greek citizenship. (S1)
• Magi Azarzar as Natalie Alfassia – A bride on her wedding day, an Israeli with a French citizenship. (S1)
• Ania Bukstein as Asia Brindich – A kindergarten teacher, an Israeli with a Russian citizenship. (S1)
• Angel Bonanni as Sean Tilson – An Israeli with dual Dutch citizenship, came back to Israel after a vacation in India. (S1-2)
• Orna Salinger as Emma Lipman – New Israeli citizen with dual British citizenship. (S1)
• Mickey Leon as Eithan Kopel – Head of the Shin Bet investigation team and a former Mossad agent. (S1-3)
• Yiftach Klein as Sagi Kedmi (S2)
• Neta Riskin as Anat Kedmi (S2)
• Yousef Sweid as Amir Cohen (S2)
• Hanna Azoulay Hasfari as Miriam Levi (S2)
• Hani Furstenberg as Joan 'Jo' Berger (S2)
• Moran Rosenblatt as Dikla Levi (S2)
• Lihi Kornowski as Mika Arazy (S2)
• Romi Aboulafia as Daphna Mishor (S3)
• Ohad Knoller as Shimi Dekel (S3)
• Tali Sharon as Neri Inbal (S3)
• Yossi Marshek as Yaya Mishor (S3)
• Lena Fraifeld as Anna Youdovski (S3)
• Shani Aviv as Corinne Abadi (S3)

• Morris Cohen as Eli Mazor – Shin Bet investigator
• Sergey Bukhman as Alex Feldman – Shin Bet investigator
• Avigail Ariely as Efrat – Ben's wife
• Shmil Ben Ari as Gafni
• Roi Assaf as Yuval – Natalie's fiance
• Yigal Naor as Gabi

The series is directed by Oded Ruskin and stars Ishai Golan, Maggie Azarzar, Angel Bonanni, Ania Bukstein and Orna Salinger. It was created for Keshet International by Maria Feldman and Amit Cohen.

The storyline is loosely based on the story of the assassination in Dubai of Mahmoud al-Mabhouh, co-founder of the military wing of Islamist Palestinian group Hamas, on January 19, 2010.^[3]

The series had its world premiere at the Berlin International Film Festival in February. In October 2015, during the annual trade show MIPCOM, it was announced that the series was acquired by Fox International and was its first acquisition of a foreign-language series on a global scale.^[4]

It was first broadcast on Israel's Channel 2 on October 29, 2015, and was followed by a second season released on November 21, 2018.^[5]

It aired on Fox UK in August 2017,^[6] and on Hulu in the United States in January 2018.^[7] Seasons 1-2 aired on SBS on Demand in Australia from 2020.^[8]

The third season premiered in Israel on 23 March 2022 on Channel 12, before being released internationally by Fox.^[2]

The series was well-reviewed by The Guardian in the UK^[6] and by The New York Times US.^[7]

The first season won both the Audience Award and the Grand Prize at France’s Series Mania.^[2]

A remake of the series starring Uma Thurman, titled Suspicion, for Apple TV+,^[9] aired in February 2022.^[10]

• Mahmoud al-Mabhouh

• Official website
• False Flag at IMDb
• Article on Fox International's website about the acquisition of 'False Flag'