JERUSALEM (VINnews) — An Iran-linked hacker group known as Handala claimed Wednesday to have infiltrated the personal communications of former Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett, releasing thousands of contacts, messages and files in an operation dubbed “Operation Octopus.”
Join our WhatsApp groupSubscribe to our Daily Roundup Email
Bennett initially denied that his phone had been hacked but later acknowledged that unauthorized access was gained to his Telegram account. His office stressed that the device in question is no longer in use and that his phone itself was not compromised.
The group, believed by Israeli cybersecurity experts to be affiliated with Iran’s intelligence services, published what it described as nearly 2,000 chat logs, 141 pages of contacts and other materials, including phone numbers of senior Israeli officials, journalists and international figures such as French President Emmanuel Macron and United Arab Emirates President Mohammed bin Zayed.
In a taunting statement addressed directly to Bennett, Handala mocked the former prime minister’s background in cybersecurity and his recent warnings about Iranian threats. “You once prided yourself on being a beacon of cybersecurity and presented your expertise to the world,” the hackers wrote. “Yet, how ironic that your iPhone 13 fell so easily into the hands of Handala.”
The timing added to the irony: Just over a week earlier, at the annual Cyber Week conference at Tel Aviv University on Dec. 9, Bennett had warned of escalating Iranian cyber capabilities, describing a hypothetical scenario in which Iran could deploy massive cyber forces to disrupt critical infrastructure.
Israeli authorities, including the Shin Bet, are investigating the incident. Cybersecurity analysts suggested the breach may have occurred through a backup device or an associate’s phone rather than Bennett’s directly, and noted that some released materials appeared fabricated.
The hack echoes a 2019 incident in which Iranian operatives reportedly accessed the phone of then-opposition leader Benny Gantz. Material from that breach was not widely released until years later, with limited political impact.
Experts say such operations serve dual purposes: psychological warfare to embarrass Israeli leaders and potential intelligence gathering for future leverage. While Iran cannot directly challenge Israel militarily in conventional terms, cyber operations represent an asymmetric tool to probe vulnerabilities.
Bennett, who served as prime minister from 2021 to 2022 and founded a successful cybersecurity firm before entering politics, has long emphasized the need for robust digital defenses. The incident underscores ongoing tensions in the shadowy Iran-Israel cyber conflict, where both sides routinely accuse the other of espionage and sabotage.