Israel’s Advanced Tech Used to Penetrate Lebanese Phones, Carry Out Assassinations

Men place a banner on a damaged building that was hit late on February 14 by an Israeli strike, in Nabatieh, southern Lebanon February 16, 2024. REUTERS/Aziz Taher
Men place a banner on a damaged building that was hit late on February 14 by an Israeli strike, in Nabatieh, southern Lebanon February 16, 2024. REUTERS/Aziz Taher
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Israel’s Advanced Tech Used to Penetrate Lebanese Phones, Carry Out Assassinations

Men place a banner on a damaged building that was hit late on February 14 by an Israeli strike, in Nabatieh, southern Lebanon February 16, 2024. REUTERS/Aziz Taher
Men place a banner on a damaged building that was hit late on February 14 by an Israeli strike, in Nabatieh, southern Lebanon February 16, 2024. REUTERS/Aziz Taher

Lebanon’s communication networks have become a source of profound concern for Hezbollah, particularly following successful Israeli intelligence operations that have penetrated the phones of key leaders and operatives, allowing for easy tracking and assassination.

Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah has labeled mobile phones as “lethal informants” and urged party members to abandon their use.

Reports indicating Israel’s ability to infiltrate internet networks and access Wi-Fi systems have only heightened anxieties for the Lebanese group.

The reasons behind Israel’s effective execution of assassinations vary, including recruitment of local agents and possession of advanced technologies.

While ground agents have historically played a role, recent events raise questions about the extent to which Israel’s success is due to these operatives or its technological capabilities.

Communication and social media expert Omar Qasqas affirmed to Asharq Al-Awsat that Israel “has almost total control over Lebanese phone networks.”

According to Qasqas, Israel’s penetration of Lebanese phone networks occurs through malware attacks, phone calls, and exploiting vulnerabilities in phone networks, particularly transmission stations.

This allows Israel to eavesdrop on calls, access messages and images, and pinpoint device locations.

Mobile phone users often disable internet services and switch to Wi-Fi for security, but experts warn that Wi-Fi networks are not secure due to outdated technology.

Lebanon’s failure to invest in modernizing its communication infrastructure leaves it vulnerable to Israel’s advanced tactics.

Social media monitoring adds another layer of concern. Israel can access social media platforms to monitor user activity, even breaching profiles to track comments, likes, and friend requests.

This surveillance extends to all levels, posing significant privacy and security risks for users.

In light of these developments, Hezbollah’s call to abandon mobile phones underscores the gravity of the situation.



Toll From UXO Blast in Syria City Rises to 10

A SANA picture shows emergency workers at the site of the explosion. SANA/AFP
A SANA picture shows emergency workers at the site of the explosion. SANA/AFP
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Toll From UXO Blast in Syria City Rises to 10

A SANA picture shows emergency workers at the site of the explosion. SANA/AFP
A SANA picture shows emergency workers at the site of the explosion. SANA/AFP

A blast in the Syrian coastal city of Latakia killed at least 10 people on Saturday, state media reported, adding that it was triggered by a scrap dealer mishandling unexploded ordnance.
SANA news agency earlier reported that "the death toll from the explosion at a hardware store" in Latakia's southern neighborhood of Al-Rimal had been eight.
The news agency said three children and a woman were among the victims of the blast at the store inside a four-storey building.
"Fourteen civilians were also injured, including four children," SANA said.
It said the detonation occurred when the scrap dealer mishandled an unexploded munition in an attempt to recover the metal.
SANA said late Saturday search and rescue operations were ongoing "to extract those trapped under the rubble of the destroyed residential building".
Britain-based war monitor the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights also called the explosion an "accident" resulting from a resident's attempt to dismantle unexploded ordnance.
One Latakia resident, Ward Jammoul, 32, told AFP she heard a "loud blast", adding that she "headed to the site and found a completely destroyed building".
She said civil defense personnel and ambulances were at the scene, along with "a large number of people who had gathered to look for those trapped under the rubble".
An image carried by the news agency showed a large plume of smoke over a populated neighborhood.
A report by non-governmental organization Humanity and Inclusion had warned last month of the dangers posed by unexploded munitions left over from Syria's civil war that erupted in 2011.
It said experts estimated that between 100,000 and 300,000 of the roughly one million munitions used during the war had never detonated.