Hundreds of thousands of Israeli citizens woke up Tuesday morning to threatening and intimidating SMS messages sent from unknown numbers, in what security officials are calling a broad Iranian psychological warfare campaign.
The messages, which varied in content, included attempts at recruitment and warnings regarding ties to the Islamic Republic.
One of the messages said,
"We promised you that soon you will stars in the night sky, which are not stars. Soon you will see the sun at night. But the islamic republic invites you to cooperate. Contact the Iranian embassy in different countries, or one of the Iranian cyber operators on the internet. Build you future now."
According to the Israel Police and the National Cyber Directorate, the campaign is a known Iranian intelligence tactic aimed at sowing public panic and attempting to recruit Israelis, both at home and abroad, for intelligence collection and terror-related activities.
The Official Safety Protocol
The National Cyber Directorate clarified that receiving such a message does not mean a phone or account has been hacked. To mitigate the impact of the campaign, authorities have issued the following "Must-Do" instructions:
- Do Not Engage: Do not reply to the messages.
- Avoid Links: Do not click on any attached links or download any files.
- Block and Report: Block the sender's number or email address immediately.
- Do Not Share: Refrain from forwarding the messages to others, as this aids in the spread of panic.
- Official Sources Only: Rely exclusively on information provided by authorized government and security bodies.
Intelligence Tactics in the Digital Space
"This is a familiar influence operation in the digital sphere," the National Cyber Directorate stated. "These are dramatic, threatening, or stressful messages sent directly to citizens to make them act out of fear and undermine their sense of security."
The Israel Police emphasized that security agencies are working to trace the origins of these messages and neutralize the infrastructure behind them. They urged the public to demonstrate responsibility and report any suspicious recruitment attempts to official channels.
The wave of messages comes a day after Hezbollah sent frightening voice calls to residents of Kiryat Shmonah, ordering them to evacuate or else. They also come amid heightening regional tensions, including reports of a U.S. nuclear submarine moving into the theater and ongoing diplomatic friction regarding Iranian military assets in neighboring countries.
