Facebook has shut down a covert network of hundreds of accounts that spread propaganda and attacked regional rivals on behalf of individuals associated with the government of Saudi Arabia.

The social media giant said it had removed over 350 accounts, pages and groups with around 1.4 million followers that were mentioned in a blog post on Thursday.

The people behind this network used compromised and fake accounts to pose as local news organisations in targeted countries and promote content about the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

They also frequently posted about the alleged support of terrorist groups by Qatar and Turkey, Iran’s activity in Yemen, the conflict in Libya, successes of the Saudi-led coalition in Yemen, and independence for Somaliland, Facebook claimed.

Nathaniel Gleicher, head of cybersecurity policy at Facebook, said: "Although the people behind this activity attempted to conceal their identities, our review found links to individuals associated with the government of Saudi Arabia."

Facebook's researchers traced the activity to two marketing firms -- New Waves in Egypt and Newave in the UAE.