- A pro-Iranian hacking group called Anonymous for Justice claims it breached Israeli intelligence databases, weapons development labs, and classified plans, releasing files and photographs of officials and scientists.
- Separately, the Iranian-linked collective Handala claims it extracted over 19,000 confidential images and videos from the personal phone of Israel’s former military chief, Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi.
- Israeli officials and cybersecurity experts urge caution, warning that Handala’s disclosures routinely blend real data with deliberate propaganda designed to destabilize Israeli institutions.
A pro-Iranian hacking group has thrown the intelligence world into a state of alarm, claiming it penetrated the most sensitive layers of Israeli security infrastructure, promising more to come. Two separate but connected hacking claims surfaced within the same news cycle, each carrying significant implications.
A group identifying itself as “Anonymous for Justice” announced it had breached Israeli intelligence databases, weapons development laboratories, and classified strategic plans, releasing documents and photographs it claims belong to Israeli officials and scientists.
Hours later, the Iranian-linked collective known as Handala (also called Handalah or Hanzala Hack) made an arguably more explosive claim: it had cracked open the personal mobile phone of Lt. Gen. (ret.) Herzi Halevi, the former Chief of Staff of the Israel Defense Forces, pulled more than 19,000 confidential images and videos from it.
No independent cybersecurity researcher or Israeli authority has verified either claim at the time of publication.
Handala Claims Long-Term Access to Israel’s Former Top Commander
Handala posted its announcement across X (formerly Twitter) and Telegram, telling followers it had maintained prolonged access to Halevi’s device before finally extracting the files. The group says the leaked material contains footage from internal Israeli military meetings, personal photographs, and classified documents.
Among the first images Handala released, the group claims one shows Halevi in a private meeting with Jordan’s Chief of Staff, Maj. Gen. Yousef Huneiti. If authentic, that single image carries enormous diplomatic weight; a behind-closed-doors encounter between the top military figures of two countries, now thrust into public view.
Handala left no ambiguity about what comes next. In a statement accompanying the leaked files, the group declared, “Everything revealed so far is only the first chapter; the rest follows shortly,” signaling that more disclosures would drop in the days ahead. The announcement exploded across social media within hours, spreading rapidly through pro-Palestinian and anti-Israel networks on multiple platforms.
A Track Record That Makes the Claims Hard to Ignore
Handala is not a new name in cybersecurity circles. The group has previously claimed successful breaches of former Prime Minister Naftali Bennett’s personal phone, the device of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s chief of staff Tzachi Braverman, and the phone of former minister Ayelet Shaked.
Cybersecurity researchers have consistently linked Handala to Iranian intelligence networks, describing its operations as a deliberate mix of technical intrusion and coordinated information warfare aimed at embarrassing and destabilizing Israeli institutions.
Handala isn’t the only group making headlines, hackers have claimed a $600 million Lockheed Martin data sale, threatening wider leaks of sensitive defense information, demonstrating that state-aligned hacking groups are targeting both Israeli and American defense establishments with increasingly bold extortion campaigns.
Threat analysts note that Handala rarely stops at raw data. The group layers whatever real material it extracts with heavy propaganda-style presentation, amplifying the psychological damage well beyond what the technical breach alone would deliver.
Skepticism Grows but so does the Pressure
Israeli officials have repeatedly pushed back on Handala’s past announcements, dismissing many of them as exaggerated or rooted in social engineering rather than genuine technical compromise.
Cybersecurity experts echo that caution, stressing that Handala’s disclosures consistently mix verifiable data with embellishment, making independent analysis essential before anyone reaches firm conclusions.
The broader Anonymous for Justice claims against Mossad have stirred their own wave of online skepticism. Some analysts suggest the alleged Mossad breach could itself be a counter-intelligence play; a scenario where Israeli intelligence deliberately seeded false information to mislead adversaries.
Others have flat-out mocked the hackers’ assertions. Neither Israeli intelligence agencies nor government cybersecurity bodies have issued any official statement confirming or denying a breach.
What experts do agree on is the bigger picture. Two major hacking claims targeting Israeli intelligence and military leadership within a single news cycle mark a clear escalation of the cyber dimension in an already volatile regional conflict.
Whether or not every claimed file holds up, these operations are achieving something tangible. They are planting doubt, pushing Israeli institutions onto the defensive, and reinforcing a dangerous perception: that even the world’s most secretive agencies are not as untouchable as they appear.
