The Stuxnet Mystery... Dutch Engineer Disrupted Iranian Uranium Enrichment
Natanz nuclear facility, 322 kilometers south of Tehran (AP)
Sixteen years after the largest operation targeting the Iranian nuclear program, a new investigative report by a Dutch newspaper revealed the identity of the agent who introduced the “Stuxnet” computer worm to the main uranium enrichment facility in Natanz, central Iran, in a process that took years of cooperation between the United States and Israel.
Washington and Tel Aviv developed the Stuxnet virus, which was discovered in 2010, after it was used to strike the Natanz facility, in the first attack of its kind on industrial equipment. Iranian officials said at the time that the virus had infected the Bushehr nuclear station, which overlooks the Arabian Gulf.
The virus is a malicious computer program that attacks widely used industrial control systems produced by the German company Siemens AG, and exploits security vulnerabilities in the Microsoft Windows operating system. Experts say that the virus could be used for espionage or sabotage.
Years after the attack that disrupted the Iranian nuclear program and caused tension between Tehran and the West, De Volkskrant revealed the details of the access of American and Israeli intelligence to the heavily fortified facility, after a Dutch engineer succeeded in introducing equipment contaminated with the virus into the lifeline of Natanz, and installing it on water pumps.
According to the investigation published by De Volkskrant, Dutch Engineer Erik van Sabben, an agent of the Dutch General Intelligence and Security Service (AIVD), succeeded in reaching the Natanz facility, to carry out the secret operation that was preceded by years of preparation and cooperation between the CIA, the Israeli Mossad, at a cost of one billion dollars.
The investigation stated that the engineer carried out an extremely risky mission in Iran, by infiltrating the Natanz facility in 2007, where he installed contaminated devices and equipment. The results of the largest major blow to the Iranian nuclear weapons program emerged eight months after the equipment was fixed, causing the disruption of a thousand central devices within the facility.
Van Sabben, a civil engineer by profession, died in a motorbike crash near his home in Dubai two years after the operation.
According to the newspaper, the Dutch engineer, who is married to an Iranian woman, worked for a transport company in Dubai, and traveled several times to Iran. The company said it had previously sent spare parts to Iran’s oil and gas industry, but was not aware of the secret activities of its employee.
His death raised questions among the Dutch intelligence service, and fears that it was linked to his secret activities in Iran.
The two-year investigation was based on the testimonies of 43 people, 19 of whom were from the Dutch General Intelligence and Security Service (AIVD), the Dutch Military Intelligence and Security Service (MIVD), and former employees of the Mossad, the Israeli Military Intelligence Service (Aman), and the US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA).
The investigation raises questions about why the Dutch government, the two main Dutch intelligence services, and the parliamentary committee on public security and intelligence were not informed of the details of the Stuxnet operation. The newspaper noted that international experts view the sabotage of the Iranian nuclear program as “an act of war while the Netherlands was not at war with Iran,” and warned of “geo-political consequences” if the involvement of the country’s intelligence services is proven.
Electronic warfare constitutes an essential aspect of the shadow war taking place between Israel and Iran, especially against the backdrop of the nuclear file, the focus of the main conflict between Tehran and the Western powers.
At the end of August, Iran announced that it had thwarted an “Israeli plot” to damage its program to develop ballistic missiles and drones through defective spare parts imported from abroad.
According to the Iranian account, the Ministry of Defense obtained spare parts and electronic chips, which are used in the production of advanced missiles and drones.
Mahdi Farahi, Deputy Minister of Defense, told state television: “Had it not been for thwarting the interference, and if spare parts had been used, all the missiles would have been ineffective.”
State television accused a “professional and specialized network with the help of some infiltrated elements” of being behind the “conspiracy.”
Israeli Intelligence, Financial Incentives Pressure Gaza Residents to Leave the Enclave
Palestinians inspect the damage caused by an Israeli strike in Khan Younis, Gaza, on Tuesday. (AP)
Israel’s approach to the issue of displacement in Gaza remains unclear as it resorts to bombing and fear on the one hand, and promises and incentives on the other.
Israel is using both force and persuasion: striking areas to push people to flee, while at the same time hinting at “voluntary” departure through softer, indirect messages.
Caught between fear and false hope, residents of Gaza face growing confusion and chaos over what many see as Israel’s attempt to push them out through a mix of pressure and persuasion.
For nearly 19 months, relentless bombardment and bloodshed have left Gazans desperate for safety and stability — a vulnerability Israel appears to be exploiting through varied strategies aimed at forcing displacement.
The picture grew even murkier in recent days, as many residents received text messages from Israeli phone numbers urging them to contact intelligence officers via WhatsApp to coordinate their departure.
Some messages proposed specific times to meet near the Netzarim Corridor, a site often used for Israeli military operations inside Gaza. Several Gaza residents reported receiving calls from Israeli lawyers, urging them to sign powers of attorney to facilitate their displacement from the enclave.
Shattered dreams
One such individual, a man in his late 30s, shared that he received a call last Thursday from a law firm in Tel Aviv. The firm offered him the chance to sign documents to secure papers enabling his travel out of Gaza.
The offer extended beyond paperwork. The lawyer’s office assured him he would receive $5,000 before being arranged for travel through Ramon Airport to a European country, or potentially to Indonesia or Malaysia.
The man, who spoke to Asharq Al-Awsat on condition of anonymity, explained that he had previously visited a European country, hoping to stay and obtain residency. However, that attempt failed, and he returned to Gaza.
A screenshot of a phone message Hamas says is from Israeli intelligence to a resident of Gaza. (Asharq Al-Awsat)
This might have been one of the reasons he was targeted again, as the firm seemed to want to rekindle a long-lost hope.
After declining the offer, he began receiving multiple messages on his phone urging him to contact an Israeli intelligence officer via WhatsApp to expedite his travel arrangements.
As Israel’s efforts to displace Gazans intensify, more residents are coming forward with stories of offers and coercion aimed at convincing them to leave the region.
An academic from Gaza, who asked to be identified by a false name, Bassam, recently received a notification inviting him to prepare for departure alongside fellow researchers and artists and their families.
The invitation came as part of a program backed by the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs, designed to attract and support scholars and professionals by facilitating their integration into higher education, research institutions, and cultural organizations in France.
Bassem explained that they were instructed to gather at a designated location in Gaza before being transported by land to the Kerem Shalom crossing and then flown to Paris via Ramon Airport.
He shared that he would leave with his wife and their four children, hoping the opportunity would allow them to build a new future that not only benefits their academic prospects, but also contributes to the rebuilding efforts in Gaza.
Among the dual nationals contacted by Asharq Al-Awsat, Fares, also using a fake name, described how he traveled to a European country after securing approval from the embassy of the nation he holds citizenship with. He signed documents confirming his voluntary departure from Gaza, having applied for the move nearly a year earlier. He left Gaza with his family just recently.
Deceptive messages
Amid the uncertainty, Gaza’s Ministry of Interior and National Security issued a warning on Tuesday about what it called “campaigns to deceive citizens” into leaving their homeland.
In a statement posted on its official Facebook page, the ministry condemned the ongoing psychological pressure and misleading messages reaching residents' phones. These messages, often accompanied by phone calls, urge people to meet with Israeli intelligence agents under the pretense of allowing them to travel abroad.
The ministry strongly advised citizens to ignore any such messages or calls, stressing the potential dangers posed by these deceptive tactics.
It also called on the international community to exert pressure on Israel to halt its “malicious campaigns” targeting Palestinians, which says constitutes a violation of international law and amounts to forced displacement.
“What the occupation failed to achieve after months of genocide and aggression against our people, it will not accomplish through deception and manipulation,” the ministry said in a statement.
The ministry, which is affiliated with Hamas, also warned it would take legal action against anyone found cooperating with the misleading messages.
Israel’s persistent displacement efforts
The deceptive messages serve as a reminder of Israel’s ongoing, relentless attempts to force the displacement of Gaza’s population. These efforts have ranged from enforcing a policy of “scorched earth” to establishing an administration aimed at facilitating voluntary migration, and even releasing media reports suggesting that foreign countries might accept Gaza migrants. These reports have been widely denied by the countries involved.
Last month, Egypt rejected claims circulated by Israeli media that it had agreed to temporarily house half a million Gaza residents in a designated city in northern Sinai as part of a reconstruction plan for the enclave.
The Egyptian State Information Service issued a statement firmly rejecting “any attempt to forcibly or voluntarily displace Palestinian brothers from Gaza, particularly to Egypt,” emphasizing that such a move would constitute a liquidation of the Palestinian cause and pose a direct threat to Egypt’s national security.
US President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu meet at the White House on February 4, 2025. (AFP)
In February, US President Donald Trump proposed, during a meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House, a plan to “relocate Palestinians” from Gaza to Egypt and Jordan, while the US would take control of the territory and transform it into the “Riviera of the Middle East.”
This proposal was met with widespread Arab and international condemnation, particularly from Egypt and Jordan.
In response to the US proposal, Egypt developed a reconstruction plan for Gaza, which was approved during the Arab League’s Emergency Summit on Palestine in Cairo on March 4.
Meanwhile, Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto announced in April that his country was prepared to temporarily host Palestinians affected by the conflict in Gaza, particularly those wounded or traumatized, as well as orphans.
However, he emphasized that this move would be “temporary” until conditions in Gaza improved and safe return was possible. Indonesia reaffirmed its support for a two-state solution.
In March, Israel revealed plans to set up an office for “voluntary migration,” aimed at facilitating the departure of Gaza residents to third countries.
Sick and injured, not migrants
According to Gaza’s government agencies, the few individuals who have recently left the territory are primarily patients and wounded individuals, not migrants, who have completed the necessary travel procedures to receive treatment abroad.
In the past four days, several families with injured individuals, patients, and dual nationals have left Gaza. These groups gathered in Deir al-Balah and Khan Younis before traveling through the Kerem Shalom crossing into Jordan or Ramon Airport, from where they flew to various destinations.
No sources have confirmed the claims that these individuals were forced to sign papers agreeing not to return or to be removed from the civil registry.
Wasem Attiya pushes his father, Mohamed, 54, in a wheelchair as they head to Shifa hospital in Gaza City for a dialysis session, Monday, April 14, 2025. (AP)
Europe tightens migration policies
Palestinians who left Gaza during or prior to the war have described how many European countries had already imposed stricter immigration policies even before October 7, 2023, Hamas attack.
With the rise of the far-right in several European countries, immigration has become one of the most contentious issues, with some calls to expel Palestinians and Arabs from these countries. Others have even rejected offers to take in patients or injured individuals from Gaza.
Independent sources and expatriates in Europe confirmed that the majority of those allowed to travel from Gaza are primarily patients and the injured, with coordination between Israel and the World Health Organization.
Some European nations had allowed limited family reunification for Gaza residents already living in Europe, though this has almost entirely stopped, the sources told Asharq Al-Awsat.
Currently, those permitted to travel are individuals holding foreign nationalities, with a small number of students allowed to go to Ireland. However, severe restrictions make it nearly impossible for Palestinians to obtain official visas to enter Europe.
Amidst the ongoing destruction and displacement, the residents of Gaza continue to suffer.
