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Lebanese Security Agencies Do Not Deny Cyber-Espionage Accusations

Lebanese President Michel Aoun chairs a Higher Defense Council meeting at the Baabda Palace on Friday. (Dalati & Nohra)
Lebanese President Michel Aoun chairs a Higher Defense Council meeting at the Baabda Palace on Friday. (Dalati & Nohra)
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Lebanese Security Agencies Do Not Deny Cyber-Espionage Accusations

Lebanese President Michel Aoun chairs a Higher Defense Council meeting at the Baabda Palace on Friday. (Dalati & Nohra)
Lebanese President Michel Aoun chairs a Higher Defense Council meeting at the Baabda Palace on Friday. (Dalati & Nohra)

Lebanese Interior Minister Nouhad al-Mashnouq did not deny on Friday claims that the country’s General Security had carried out cyber-espionage through hacking smartphone applications.

He announced after a Higher Defense Council meeting that the CIA report on the spy claims “was exaggerated, but that does not mean that it is not true.”

Mobile security firm Lookout, Inc. and the Electronic Frontier Foundation, a digital rights group, accused Lebanon’s General Security of using fake versions of smartphone apps, such as “WhatsApp,” Telegram, Threema and Signal, to hack Android mobile devices, turning them into cyber-spying machines.

This marks one of the first known cases of large-scale hacking of phones rather than computers.

General Security chief Abbas Ibrahim renewed on Friday his denial that his agency had such hacking capabilities, remarking: “We are strong, but to the extend that the report mentions.”

The two companies had accused the General Security of spying over 21 different countries, including the United States and several European nations.

No evidence was found that Apple phone users were targeted, something that may simply reflect the popularity of Android in the Middle East.

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Islamabad: 50,000 Pakistanis Are Missing in Iraq

Every year, millions of Shiites flock to religious sites in Iraq’s Najaf and Karbala. (EPA)
Every year, millions of Shiites flock to religious sites in Iraq’s Najaf and Karbala. (EPA)
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Islamabad: 50,000 Pakistanis Are Missing in Iraq

Every year, millions of Shiites flock to religious sites in Iraq’s Najaf and Karbala. (EPA)
Every year, millions of Shiites flock to religious sites in Iraq’s Najaf and Karbala. (EPA)

Pakistan’s Minister of Religious Affairs and Interfaith Harmony Chaudhry Salik Hussain sparked controversy when he revealed that 50,000 Pakistanis have gone missing in Iraq over the years.

He urged the Baghdad government to immediately launch a probe into how the Pakistanis entered Iraq to visit religious sites during the month of Muharram, he was quoted as saying by Pakistan’s Ummat newspaper.

Islamabad is investigating how people have traveled outside Pakistan through illegal means, he remarked.

The permanent committee for religious affairs and interfaith harmony has since proposed new policies for trips to holy sites in foreign countries, including Iraq.

In Iraq, the minister’s comments drew mockery and condemnation on social media and sparked renewed debate over illegal workers in the country.

Politician Mishaan al-Juburi urged the government to make a statement over Hussain’s comments, warning that they may impact security and the labor force.

Hussain’s comments coincided with Iraqi police announcing the arrest of six Pakistanis in Baghdad on charges of theft.

Previously, military intelligence also announced the arrest of a nine-member Pakistani kidnapping and extortion gang in Baghdad. The gang had kidnapped foreigners for ransom.

Meanwhile, Labor Minister Ahmed al-Asadi expressed his concern and condemnation over the increasing number of illegal workers in Iraq.

He said his ministry will investigate the disappearance of the Pakistanis.

He confirmed that several tourists, including Pakistanis, have flocked to Iraq in recent days, and many have taken up employment without the necessary legal permits.

He warned that this phenomenon is negatively impacting the national economy.

The ministry will not be lenient in taking the necessary legal measures against the violators, he vowed.

Iraq welcomes all tourists, whether they are here on a religious visit or otherwise, but they must respect local laws and regulations, declared Asadi.

Every year, millions of Shiites flock to religious sites in Iraq’s Najaf and Karbala.