Iranian Website Publishes Profiles Of Israelis As Potential Targets

Fars news website in Iran affiliated with the IRGC has published an article profiling several Israeli businesspeople, using thinly veiled threatening language.

The article published on Sunday and credited to the “International Desk” of the website claims it obtained “internal information” about these individuals who are “experts in military, security, cyber and technology fields of the Zionist regime.” The website also claims that the individuals were involved in “sabotage in Islamic countries and assassination of resistance activists.”

The artice is headlined, "Zionists who have to live in hiding".

It goes on to say that “The rest of the information includes very precise details about their family members, photos and videos, home and work addresses, and their commuting routes, as well as telephone numbers…”

However, the information published about each person is very brief and can be easily obtained from public sources.

The first person on the list is retired Major General of the Israeli Defense Forces, Amos Malka (1972-2002), who was director of IDF Intelligence and commander of ground forces during his military career.

Fars used a couple of publicly available photos of Malka, who for the past 20 years has been a successful businessman. He is currently involved with several companies as partner or chairman of the board, including Windare Ventures, Aitech, supplying rugged computer systems, and co-founder of Spire Security Solutions, a security and intelligence company.

Amir Levinthal is another individual named by Fars, who is the founder of Cylus, a rail cybersecurity company. He is also a former military officer and Fars says he served in IDF intelligence.

The article also profiles Gal Genut, CEO of cyber intelligence company Analiza, who served as director of Unit 8200 of the Israeli Intelligence Corps. Fars says that Genut is also involved in IntSights and says that both companies are contractors for the Israeli government and its intelligence service the Mossad.

Next, the Revolutionary Guard’s mouthpiece profiles Inbal Arieli, as one of 100 most influential persons “in new technologies of the temporary Zionist regime and one of the most well-known Zionist job creators.” It adds that Arieli was also a part of Unit 8200 and “believes that special unit operational tactics should be also used in the business world.”

Amit Meltzer is another Israeli cyber specialist Fars mentions and says he is an expert in cyber defense technologies.

The Fars article comes at a time when the Islamic Republic seems exposed and vulnerable to Israeli operations inside the country. Numerous acts of sabotage and assassination have occurred in Iran since July 2020. Sensitive nuclear, military and economic targets have been hit, although Israel has never confirmed or denied involvement.

The last incident occurred on May 22, when an operative of the Revolutionary Guard Qods (Quds) Force was gunned down outside his home in Tehran in broad daylight. A security source later told Iran International that the IRGC colonel Hssan Sayyad-Khodaei was responsible for recruiting operatives for terror attacks against Israelis.

Iranian officials, shaken by the incident, vowed revenge for the killing as reports said Israel had privately told the United States that it had eliminated the alleged terror organizer.