Turkish hackers make video call to Israel’s defence minister, leak his number

Israel’s defence minister had his phone hacked and his contact number leaked online, reportedly by Turkish hackers, according to Israeli media reports. A screenshot of a video call made by the hackers to Israel Katz also surfaced online.

Katz reportedly answered the call, but the hackers did not reveal their identities as they kept their cameras off. Following the cyberattack, his phone number has now been disconnected.

Israeli news outlets further reported that several government officials have recently faced similar hacking attempts.

Former Justice Minister Ayelet Shaked was also allegedly targeted by hackers believed to be from Iran. The wave of cyberattacks has reportedly intensified since the October 7 attacks in Gaza.

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Israel’s domestic security agency, Shin Bet, previously warned officials of cyberattacks, many of which were thwarted and traced back to Iran, according to Israeli media.

Officials added that the hacking campaign aims to gain access to personal details of senior figures and potentially use this information to plan targeted attacks.