Thousands of Israeli citizens received threatening text messages over the weekend, marking another phase in what officials describe as an Iranian psychological warfare campaign against Israel.
The messages, written in English, warned: “This is your last chance to save yourself and your family. Our shagriruyot [embassies] are open to you. We know you.” Some recipients reported that the messages included links directing them to pages containing personal details such as national ID numbers, raising concerns about a possible data breach.
Israel’s National Cyber Directorate said the mass texting effort was “an attempt at intimidation and social engineering with the goal of creating psychological pressure.” The agency urged the public to avoid interacting with the messages or clicking on any links.
Expanding Operation Against Israeli Officials
The large-scale text attack follows a string of data breaches linked to Handala, a hacking group with ties to Iran. On January 2, the group claimed to have gained access to the phone of former Justice Minister Ayelet Shaked, leaking around 60 photos and videos allegedly taken from her device.
In recent weeks, Handala also claimed responsibility for compromising data linked to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s chief of staff Tzachi Braverman and former Prime Minister Naftali Bennett. Bennett confirmed that his Telegram account had been hacked but said there was no wider infiltration of his phone.
Coordinated Psychological Campaign
Yossi Karadi, head of Israel’s National Cyber Directorate, noted that during the 12-day conflict in June, Iran carried out about 1,200 coordinated information operations targeting Israeli citizens. “They tried to reach every citizen in Israel—and not just once,” he said.
Experts describe these ongoing operations as a mix of cyber intrusion and psychological tactics designed to weaken public morale. Handala and similar groups have previously hacked into school speaker systems to broadcast threats, sent fake emergency alerts, and leaked personal information of defense employees.
Israeli intelligence sources believe the latest campaign aims not only to intimidate civilians but also to identify and recruit potential assets through fear-driven messaging and manipulation.
