The Iranian group Handala claimed on Saturday that it had hacked the phone of Ayelet Shaked, who served as interior minister from 2021 to 2022 in Naftali Bennett’s government and justice minister from 2015 to 2019.
The hackers shared a series of photos, including one of Shaked at a meeting with Bennett and another of her posing with several IDF soldiers.
The group published the photos under the title “The Queen’s Secrets,” stating that it had managed to “penetrate databases related to the former justice minister.”
“Once again, the cyber world has witnessed the true extent of our power! This time, our target was none other than Ayelet Shaked, the controversial figure and so-called security champion of the Zionist regime,” the group said on social media.
In a follow-up post, the group claimed to have published the entirety of Shaked’s WhatsApp conversations and said, “It is evident that during the 12-day war, Ayelet Shaked sought, through unofficial means, to orchestrate an attack against Imam Khamenei.”
The group also threatened Shaked directly, adding, “Any attempt to harm him [Khamenei] will carry irreversible consequences, Ayelet. Watch yourself...”
Hackers target phones from Bennett, Chief of Staff Braverman
This is the third attack allegedly carried out by the hacker group, after it claimed to have hacked Bennett’s Telegram and a phone belonging to Tzachi Braverman, chief of staff to the Prime Minister’s Office.
Among the leaks was a list of contacts, including Haim Pliegeltaub, a Betar board member, and “Chen Ifergan WhatsApp,” likely referring to a contact within the PR agency Ifergan.
The office stated there had been “no indications” that Braverman’s phone was compromised, noting that an investigation was ongoing.
Bennett confirmed last month that his Telegram account had been hacked, though he maintained that his phone had not been accessed.
Danielle Greyman-Kennard and Shir Perets contributed to this report.