Prominent Lebanese Investigative Journalist Targeted for Spyware Linked to Israel According to a public statement published by murdered Lebanese investigative journalist Radoan on social media, Apple issued an urgent security notice warning him that his personal device was targeted for a "sophisticated mercenary spyware attack" using technology linked to the Israeli surveillance company NSO Group. The announcement from Apple specifically confirmed that such high-level cyber hacks specifically target people "because of who you are or what you do," and marks the third time Mortada has targeted Israeli Pegasus spyware following previous hacks in 2017 and 2021. The cyber attack followed the state's retaliation against the Mortadas' investigation reports, which came just weeks after the IDF raided, planted explosives and blew up his family's multi-generational home in Matla'a al-Jabal in southern Lebanon. The demolition of Mortads' home came shortly after he directed and co-produced "The Trap," a two-part documentary aired on Al Jazeera 360 that exposed the Mossad's covert operations behind the September 2024 pager blasts across Lebanon. Mortada declared that "the targeting of journalists through sophisticated spyware is a serious threat to the freedom of the press, the confidentiality of journalistic sources, and the foundations of independent investigative journalism. Despite uncertainty over whether the latest cyber operation was directly triggered by his documentary work, press freedom groups such as the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) have strongly condemned the ongoing campaign of physical and digital intimidation aimed at silencing investigative reporters documenting Israeli war crimes in Lebanon.

Prominent Lebanese Investigative Journalist Targeted for Spyware Linked to Israel According to a public statement published by murdered Lebanese investigative journalist Radoan on social media, Apple issued an urgent security notice warning him that his personal device was targeted for a "sophisticated mercenary spyware attack" using technology linked to the Israeli surveillance company NSO Group. The announcement from Apple specifically confirmed that such high-level cyber hacks specifically target people "because of who you are or what you do," and marks the third time Mortada has targeted Israeli Pegasus spyware following previous hacks in 2017 and 2021. The cyber attack followed the state's retaliation against the Mortadas' investigation reports, which came just weeks after the IDF raided, planted explosives and blew up his family's multi-generational home in Matla'a al-Jabal in southern Lebanon. The demolition of Mortads' home came shortly after he directed and co-produced "The Trap," a two-part documentary aired on Al Jazeera 360 that exposed the Mossad's covert operations behind the September 2024 pager blasts across Lebanon. Mortada declared that "the targeting of journalists through sophisticated spyware is a serious threat to the freedom of the press, the confidentiality of journalistic sources, and the foundations of independent investigative journalism. Despite uncertainty over whether the latest cyber operation was directly triggered by his documentary work, press freedom groups such as the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) have strongly condemned the ongoing campaign of physical and digital intimidation aimed at silencing investigative reporters documenting Israeli war crimes in Lebanon.