Israel exposes Iranian plot to lure businessman to UAE
An Israeli citizen received messages allegedly from a Saudi news channel on Telegram, reaching out to him so he would travel to the UAE • Attempts were made to send malware to his phone
Israel's National Security Council announced Tuesday that Iranian agents tried to lure an Israeli businessman to the United Arab Emirates to harm him.
Israeli intelligence agencies were made aware that Iranian operatives reached out to an Israeli businessman via Telegram, pretending to be the Persian department of the Saudi Al Arabiya channel. They maintained contact with him, sending links and files aimed at enabling their access to his mobile phone without his knowledge.
Thanks to the vigilance of the businessman, who reported the suspicious behavior, an investigation was opened. The characteristics of the conversation and the request to conduct an "interview" on the Iranian regime indicate that Iranian terror operatives are behind the operation.
A senior official in the IDF on the Iranian attempt told i24NEWS that "there were other attempts by the Iranians to entice Israelis to destinations in order to harm them," warning that other attempts "are happening right now."
Iran's malicious operations are "accelerating." He said that the agents display creativity, disguising their intentions with "business talk or academia and conferences, or medical representatives – and the aim is to bring these Israelis to third countries where the Iranians have infrastructure to harm Israelis."
IDF Chief of General Staff Herzi Halevi called it "yet another case of the ongoing Iranian terror threat against Israelis at home and abroad. The briefing highlights to the public in Israel the potential risk involved in dealing with unknown entities making approaches online – particularly when these approaches are accompanied by requests for personal details, information on foreign travel and/or sending files/links to mobile devices/email addresses."
To avoid and minimize the risks from this activity, Israeli security authorities urged the public to maintain their privacy on social media networks and refrain from sharing details such as phone numbers, their real-time location, and future plans. Disclosing such information helps terrorists obtain important information about potential targets.
The National Security Agency asked the public to notify it of any suspicious behavior by unknown factors from abroad.