Israeli diplomats have been added to WhatsApp teams run from Iran and different hostile nations, in accordance with a Monday report that cited an inner safety warning issued to Overseas Ministry employees.
The memo got here after a number of cases of Israelis being recruited by way of social media to spy for Iran, and of Iran contacting Israelis for each intimidation and recruitment functions, the Ynet information web site reported.
“Not too long ago, there have been stories of [diplomats] being added to WhatsApp teams, not via their contacts. These are teams which are opened and run by our adversaries from telephone numbers from Iran, Pakistan, and extra,” learn the warning.
“Subsequently, it’s essential to be vigilant in regards to the teams you be a part of and are added to, and even change the settings so that you could solely be added to the teams by contacts who’re registered with you,” the warning stated.
Final month, the Nationwide Cyber Directorate stated it was investigating a wave of stories from Israelis who acquired calls, apparently from Iran, with recorded Hebrew messages making an attempt to recruit, threaten and intimidate them.
And in June, throughout Israel’s 12-day struggle with Iran, a number of Israeli political figures reported receiving threatening telephone calls from Iran. The Islamic Republic additionally reportedly hacked former justice minister Ayelet Shaked’s telephone throughout that point.
Israeli safety and rescue forces on the scene the place a ballistic missile fired from Iran hit and brought about injury in Tel Aviv, June 22, 2025. (Chaim Goldberg/Flash90)
In the meantime, dozens of instances have come to mild over the previous two years of Iranian brokers efficiently recruiting Israelis into espionage schemes by way of social media, particularly the Telegram messaging app.
The Israelis are often unusual civilians contacted by Iranian intelligence officers on-line.
Many of the accused spies begin out by finishing apparently innocuous duties for cost that step by step develop into extra critical offenses, like intelligence gathering and assassination plots.
Charlie Summers contributed to this report.
