Ex-PM Naftali Bennett blames Israel’s enemies for a Telegram hack that leaked contacts and chats, as reports point to an Iran-linked cyber group.
JERUSALEM: Former Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett has confirmed his Telegram messaging account was hacked.
Bennett, who is planning another run for office, said the breach occurred despite his actual phone device not being compromised.
“It appears that while my actual phone device was not breached, access to my Telegram account was indeed gained through various means,” he said in a statement.
He said contents of his contact list, along with numerous photos and chats, both authentic and fabricated, have been distributed.
Bennett asserted the breach was a deliberate attempt to stop him from returning to the premiership.
“Israel’s enemies will do everything in their power to prevent me from serving as prime minister again. It will not work,” he said.
The Times of Israel reported that stolen material was published on a website allegedly operated by the Iran-linked Handala hacker group.
The group claimed to have left a message on Bennett’s phone, mocking his cybersecurity background.
“For all your boasts and bravado, your digital fortress was nothing more than a paper wall waiting to be breached,” the message stated.
Israeli daily Haaretz confirmed many of the leaked phone numbers belong to authentic senior Israeli and international officials.
Before his political career, Bennett co-founded a device protection software and an online security company.
Iran’s official IRNA news agency published the names of contacts from the hack without confirming any link to the hackers.
Bennett has declared his intention to run for prime minister in the next parliamentary elections due in October 2026.
His goal is to oust current Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Bennett first served as prime minister from June 2021 to June 2022 in a broad coalition that unseated Netanyahu.
That government collapsed months later, paving the way for Netanyahu’s return to power.
