The office of former Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett confirmed in a statement late Wednesday night that his Telegram account was hacked, along with his contact list, photos and chats.
“The enemies of Israel will do everything to prevent me from becoming prime minister again. It won’t help them. No one will stop me from acting and fighting for the State of Israel and the people of Israel,” the statement read.
Bennett’s office said that “it appears” that his smartphone was not infiltrated, but access to his Telegram account was.
“The contents of my contact list, as well as many photos and chats—both real and fabricated (including a photo of me alongside [the late Prime Minister David] Ben-Gurion)—were distributed. This material was obtained illegally, and its distribution constitutes a criminal offense,” the statement continued.
Initially, the office said that the phone reportedly compromised by Iranian hacker group Handala was “not currently in use.” It added that the matter was being handled by the relevant security and cyber authorities.
Handala wrote to Bennett, who was the CEO of Cyota, an anti-fraud software company, before stepping into politics, “You once prided yourself on being a beacon of cybersecurity, showcasing your expertise to the world.
“Yet how ironic that your iPhone 13 fell so easily into Handala’s hands. Despite all your boasting and pride, your digital fortress was nothing more than a paper wall waiting to be breached,” Ynet quoted the group as saying.
Handala named its action “Operation Octopus: Naftali Bennett Hacked,” per the report.
Bennett has repeatedly referred to Iran as the “head of the octopus,” likening Tehran-backed proxies such as Hezbollah in Lebanon and the Houthis in Yemen to its tentacles.
“The octopus doesn’t just watch, it already has you in its grip,” the hackers said.
The report added that the claims are being investigated by the Israel Security Agency (Shin Bet), and that the hackers might have infiltrated one of Bennett’s advisers’ phones, not necessarily his own.
