Ehud Barak's Mobile Phone and Computer Hacked and Sold to Iran

Israeli Channel 12 reported that the mobile phone and computer of Ehud Barak, a former Prime Minister, Defense Minister, and Chief of Staff of the Israeli Army, were "hacked and the content sold to Iran." The network added on Sunday night, March 17, that Nadav Argaman, head of the Shin Bet, Israel's internal security service, informed Mr. Barak about this incident that occurred several months ago. The report states that Iran was not the hacker itself, but rather the individuals who hacked Barak's mobile phone and computer sold the content to Iran. Both Ehud Barak and the head of Shin Bet have not yet responded to this report. Last week, Channel 12 also reported that the mobile phone of Benny Gantz, former Chief of Staff and one of the two main candidates for Prime Minister in the April 8 elections, was "hacked by Iran." Mr. Gantz and the Blue and White coalition he leads have been in a fierce dispute with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu over the media coverage of this news. Given that Mr. Netanyahu oversees the heads of Shin Bet, Mossad, and Israel's Cyber Command, General Moshe Ya'alon, a supporter of Mr. Gantz, stated that Netanyahu is involved in leaking this news to the media. The Blue and White coalition has called for an investigation by Israeli authorities into this matter and has deemed the involvement of the Attorney General in these investigations necessary. Mr. Gantz and activists from his party have claimed that Netanyahu and those working for him have brought Iran into the conversation to maintain their grip on power. Netanyahu, denying his involvement in leaking the news about Gantz's mobile phone, stated that "Iran's support" for his rivals in this election period is "clear." Netanyahu also said on Monday night, "I was able to bring the real archive of Iran's nuclear documents to Israel, but Gantz, who couldn't even protect his own mobile phone, how can he defend Israel?" Ehud Barak, whose "sale of his hacked phone content to Iran" has been revealed, is a supporter of Mr. Gantz and a staunch opponent of Benjamin Netanyahu. Some Israeli figures have stated that while the fact that Israel knows what information Iran has on Israeli officials may indicate Israel's intelligence capabilities, revealing its awareness of the enemy's knowledge is considered a blow to Israeli intelligence agencies. Israeli media have reported that if Iran has information on Gantz and Barak, they are certainly not the only ones. The media reported on Sunday that a senior Israeli minister was also targeted in a hacking attempt on his mobile phone, but this attempt was unsuccessful; the name of this security cabinet minister was not disclosed. A former Shin Bet official who established the Cyber Command said on Sunday to Tel Aviv's state radio that such actions do not align with Iran's operations, and the possibility that the Russians are behind it is more serious. According to Wynet, Tamir Pardo, former head of Mossad, Israel's intelligence agency, said on March 18 that these incidents go beyond electoral competition and require a comprehensive investigation. The Islamic Republic of Iran has remained silent on both the Benny Gantz and Ehud Barak incidents.