{"id":109973,"date":"2026-05-12T11:11:12","date_gmt":"2026-05-12T11:11:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/109973\/"},"modified":"2026-05-12T11:11:12","modified_gmt":"2026-05-12T11:11:12","slug":"iran-sends-mass-text-message-to-israelis-inviting-them-to-share-intelligence","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/109973\/","title":{"rendered":"Iran sends mass text message to Israelis, inviting them to share intelligence"},"content":{"rendered":"

Iran sent a batch of messages to many Israeli cellphone users overnight Monday, inviting them to cooperate on intelligence, in what Israel\u2019s National Cyber \u200b\u200bDirectorate said was an attempt to \u201ccreate panic.\u201d<\/p>\n

Among the Hebrew-language messages were notifications telling Israelis they can contact Iranian embassies or provide information about sensitive sites by marking them on an online map.<\/p>\n

In a statement, the Cyber \u200b\u200bDirectorate said it was a \u201cfamiliar attempt to influence\u201d and said the \u201cthreatening, dramatic, and worrying messages\u201d were aimed at causing recipients \u201cto act out of fear.\u201d<\/p>\n

One message reportedly sent to users said: \u201cWe assured you that soon you will see stars in the night sky that aren\u2019t stars\u2026 soon you will see the sun in night skies,\u201d in an apparent reference to Iranian missile attacks on Israel.<\/p>\n

The directorate warned those who received the messages not to respond to them, click on any links included, or forward the messages to anyone else.<\/p>\n

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The directorate also said that receiving such a message doesn\u2019t mean that a user\u2019s phone or account has been hacked. It noted that while some messages appeared to come from organizations, among them IntelOP, Apocalypse, and BibiAlerts, that was only due to the way the messaging system was hacked.<\/p>\n

\t\"\"<\/a>
\n\t\tAn image of text messages apparently sent from Iran to Israelis calling on them to cooperate with the Islamic Republic on May 12, 2026 (Israel Police)<\/p>\n

In a statement, the Israel Police said it had received many calls from concerned people who received messages tied to the Islamic Republic of Iran.<\/p>\n

The force likewise warned not to click on any links and advised users to block the contact from which the message came.<\/p>\n

Police said the messages were intended to \u201ccause public panic\u201d and were an attempt by Iranian intelligence to recruit Israeli citizens at home and abroad to \u201cadvance intelligence gathering operations and terror in Israel.\u201d<\/p>\n

Police included a couple of examples of what the messages looked like.<\/p>\n

One message said, \u201cThe Islamic Republic of Iran invites you to cooperate on intelligence. To cooperate, make contact with Iranian embassies in various countries or with one of the Iranian cyber activists on the internet. Build your future now.\u201d<\/p>\n

Another said that Iran would \u201cbuy your video clips of Iran\u2019s war against Israel.\u201d<\/p>\n

Gil Messing, head of the Check Point internet security company, told Channel 12 that clicking on an included link led to a map where users could mark sites in Israel.<\/p>\n

\t\"\"<\/a>
\n\t\tAn image of text messages apparently sent from Iran to Israelis calling on them to cooperate with the Islamic Republic on May 12, 2026 (Israel Police)<\/p>\n

Messing said that whereas in the past Iran made similar attempts while hiding its identity, this time, \u201cthey are doing that in a most clear and public way.\u201d<\/p>\n

Messing noted that some in Israel have cooperated with Iranian intelligence, and the Iranians \u201cfeel that this is a correct and effective tactic for them.\u201d<\/p>\n

Recent years have seen scores of ordinary Israelis arrested on suspicion of carrying out tasks, usually intelligence gathering and vandalism, at the behest of Iran-linked agents they met online.<\/p>\n

Iranian agents usually start out their recruits with relatively mundane tasks such as vandalism or the filming of public locations, which then escalate into more severe, sometimes even violent offenses.<\/p>\n


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