Israel uncovers Iranian plot to lure businessman to Dubai under pretext of interview
National Security Council says man’s phone infected with hacking malware by someone who contacted him on Telegram, posing as employee of Al Arabiya outlet’s Persian-language site
Amy Spiro is a reporter and writer with The Times of Israel

Iranian proxies attempted to lure an Israeli businessman to Dubai under the pretext of an interview, the Israeli National Security Council revealed on Tuesday, warning citizens to be on high alert for such attempts.
In a statement, the NSC warned that Iranian elements are targeting Israelis online and trying to convince them to attend meetings abroad at which they will be targeted.
Recently, the NSC said, an Israeli businessman was contacted on Telegram by someone posing as an employee of the Persian-language version of the Al Arabiya news outlet. The Israeli man received a request to fly to Dubai for a meeting in order to take part in an interview about “the Iranian regime.”
Becoming suspicious, the businessman alerted the NSC, which discovered that the contact had infected his cellphone with malware to hack into his phone.
The NSC warned Israelis against sharing information with unknown contacts online and not disclosing personal details or travel plans with any potential business or academic partners without verifying their identities. Israelis were urged to be vigilant and to contact the Foreign Ministry or NSC about any suspicious activity.
In November, an Israeli-Moldovan Chabad emissary based in the United Arab Emirates — Rabbi Zvi Kogan — was kidnapped and murdered by three Uzbeki citizens who Israel believes were recruited by Iran.

Last month, Iranian-Israeli journalist Babak Itzhaki said he was the target of a plot by Iranian paramilitary forces to lure him to Turkey and then smuggle him into Iran.
In recent months, Israel has also uncovered a significant number of plots of Iranian proxies recruiting Israelis online to carry out espionage against Israeli figures and facilities.
Since September 2024, Israeli authorities have announced arrests in many cases involving individuals or cells suspected of spying or plotting attacks on behalf of Iran. In some, Tehran tried to trick Israelis online into carrying out missions on its behalf. In other cases, individuals are alleged to have knowingly operated on Tehran’s behalf for money.
Times of Israel staff contributed to this report.