Iran’s ex-communications minister said Israeli hackers exploited WhatsApp to target officials in the June war, amid mounting scrutiny over Tehran’s security failures.
Iran’s former communications minister, Mohammad Javad Azari Jahromi, has said that officials carrying sensitive information on their phones became “easy prey” for Israeli hackers during June’s 12-day war.
“In the recent war, those who had information and were of interest to Israel were easy prey for hacking,” Jahromi told reporters, adding that “WhatsApp has low resistance to cyberattacks and low security, and Israel has used this tool.” He noted that military personnel were prohibited from exchanging confidential information on the platform.
His comments follow growing criticism of Tehran’s security lapses after senior commanders were assassinated. Mahdieh Shadmani, daughter of slain commander Ali Shadmani, rejected claims that phone apps exposed her father’s location, saying he “carried no smart devices” and yet was “repeatedly targeted for assassination by Israel.”
Israel’s June 13 offensive killed 1,062 people in Iran, while Tehran’s missile strikes killed 32 in Israel. A U.S.-brokered ceasefire ended the conflict on June 24.
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