Iranian Hackers Break Cell Phone of Scandal-Plagued Netanyahu Aide

האקרים איראניים חשפו זהויות של אנשי שב”כ מיחידה 730

The Iranian hacking group, Handala, tweeted that they’d broken the phone of Tzahi Braverman, Bibi Netanyahu’s chief of staff. An Israeli security source told Tikun Olam:

It’s a very serious security breach. Dozens of names and phone numbers of Unit 730‘s personnel were exposed”.

Unit 730 is the special Shin Bet security detail, which guards Israel’s top officials, including the president, prime minister and diplomatic corps.  The phone numbers of 33 of its agents are included in the list. This cyber security compromise places both the agents and their protectees in grave danger. It is a major security failure.  In addition, the 2,000 contacts on Braverman’s cell phone are themselves vulnerable to similar intrusions.

The release of the hacked material couldn’t have come at a more delicate time, as Netanyahu arrived in the US for his fifth Oval Office visit in the past year.  The Israeli leader will pressure Pres. Trump to launch yet another attack on Iran.  The former will now enter the White House with egg on his face.

The military censor has prohibited Israeli media from reporting the contents of the hack.  I am publishing it here. These are the 33 Unit 730 entries, as well as ambassadors, government officials, and journalists:

The Iranian hackers have made some extravagant claims in their overwrought style:

To Netanyahu’s inner circle,
To every official still clutching the illusion of secrecy
You feel it now: the tightening chest, the cold sweat, the gnawing dread. That’s not just fear, it’s the knowledge that every layer of your security, every secret entrusted to Tzachi Braverman, Netanyahu’s Chief of Staff, gatekeeper, and vault of all forbidden truths, is now wide open.

There is no proof that they’ve gained access to much of value beyond the contact list. Handala’s claim, designed to demoralize Israelis, is an unconvincing attempt at psychological warfare.  But what they have accomplished is damaging enough.

Scandal-prone Netanyahu aide

Braverman has gained other notoriety in a number of scandals.  He played a leading role in leaking stolen IDF intelligence documents to the German far-right Bild; and the pro-Israel British outlet, Jewish Chronicle.  They claimed that the documents were secret Hamas war plans of the group’s then leader, Yahya Sinwar. But in fact, they were old reports written by lower-level operatives, which the Shin Bet determined had no value.  Later both outlets removed the reports from their websites without explanation. Braverman and others in the Prime Minister’s Office were suspected of collaborating with the IDF officer who stole the documents.

The IDF was outraged that Netanyahu’s staff was collaborating with an internal spy to expose its secret intelligence materials. It began an investigation.  Recently, another aide revealed further “dirt” on Braverman during a TV interview. He told police that the latter said he could squelch the inquiry:

Feldstein said that Braverman told him that he could “shut down” the leak investigation, and warned him that the investigation “was opened in the IDF’s Information Security Department and reaches all the way to the Prime Minister’s Office.”  According to Feldstein, Braverman presented him with the names of individuals who were later revealed to be suspects in the affair. Feldstein said he shared this account during his interrogations, yet Braverman was never summoned to testify…

The reason, of course, is that Braverman was being protected by Netanyahu, while the subordinate (Feldstein) was thrown to the dogs.

Qatargate connection

Braverman also was involved in what became known as Qatargate, in which the prime Minister’s office employed staff whose salaries were funded indirectly by Qatar:

 …An American lobbying company called The Third Circle, owned by American pro-Qatar lobbyist Jay Footlik, formed a direct connection with [Netanyahu military aide] Jonathan Urich to disseminate positive messages in the Israeli media regarding Doha’s role as a facilitator in the hostage deal negotiations between Israel and Hamas, and to spread negative messaging about Egypt’s role in the negotiations.

It’s highly unlikely Braverman would not have known of this arrangement, though he has not been officially implicated or charged.

The PMO conspirators were paid to plant media stories denigrating Egypt’s critical role in mediating with Hamas weakened its influence over the Palestinian group:

[Media leaks which originated from] the Prime Minister’s Office against Egypt’s role in the hostage negotiations, harmed efforts to reach an agreement with Hamas for a hostage release deal, and specifically harmed Egypt’s ability to influence Hamas.

Braverman has also been accused of falsifying official records concerning the activities of Netanyahu on the night of October 7, 2023. The actual record shows the PM was notified earlier than previously known about the attack:

He was asked to alter the conversation’s timeline to show that on October 7, Netanyahu issued instructions about the security crisis to his military secretary, Maj. Gen. Avi Gil, in their first conversation at 6:29 A.M., and not in their second conversation, at 6:40 A.M., as it actually happened.

Though this passage softens the story by saying Braverman was “asked” to commit this crime, it’s much more likely Netanyahu directed him to do so.  There’s little reason to suspect this was an independent initiative or that someone else suggested he do so, since he held the highest position in the PMO.  It may seem insignificant that Netanyahu knew of the attack ten minutes earlier than reported, but considering the massive nature of the assault, those ten minutes could have saved countless Israeli lives if he had immediately activated all available military resources to repulse it.

Netanyahu has rewarded his aide’s loyalty with an ambassadorship: the coveted position of ambassador to Britain. Two others implicated have also received diplomatic appointments.  This is the PM’s modus operandi for staff caught red-handed in shady activity on his behalf: get them out of the country, somewhere Israeli investigators will have less access and interest in pursuing criminal cases.

He has also rallied around his chief of staff amidst the current scandal, releasing this false statement: “No breach has been found. The issue is being investigated.” In fact, not only has global media reported the story, I’ve published the content of the breach.

It’s certainly no surprise that Netanyahu would offer such a lie.  It is, after all, his modus operandi.  He approaches every scandal the same way: lie, distract, accuse, claim victimhood. Follow this protocol long enough and the scandal will dissipate–at least that is the expectation. However, when you’ve done this often enough, the public tires of the scheming and throws the bum out on his ass.  That has not happened yet.  But the next election is not far away.

This cyber-hack is yet another embarrassing, disastrous failure for Braverman.  It is astonishing that such a senior figure would leave his cell phone vulnerable to such penetration.  In almost any other country such incompetence would result in being fired.  In Israel, when your boss needs you to cover for him, you receive a handsome reward.