Iran blocks Facebook due to presidential campaigning

Authorities in Iran have banned popular social-networking site Facebook until after the Islamic Republic's presidential election in mid-June.

Iranian media has reported that the ban comes as a result of the success President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad opponent Mir-Hossein Mousavi has had using the site to advance his campaign, according to a report on Army Radio.

The use of Facebook in the Arab and Muslim world has risen dramatically over the past year where it has become a popular networking and organizational tool.

The site is very popular in Israel, and last week the Shin Bet security service warned Israeli citizens to beware of attempts by terrorist groups to recruit them as agents via Facebook and other social networking sites on the Internet.

The security service has cited a number of recent incidents in which Arab terrorists have tried to lure Israelis to join their cells, either by making direct contact or by trying to arrange a seemingly innocent meeting with the intention of kidnapping them.