Former IRGC minister: Officials ordered to submit phones for safety inspections

Shafaq News/ On Thursday, former Iranian Revolutionary Guard (IRGC) minister Mohsen Rafiqdoust disclosed that numerous officials have been directed to keep their mobile phones away from them, submit them for inspection, and only retrieve them once their safety has been confirmed.

“Assassinations might have begun using cyber operations in Iran; Iran is expected to retaliate against Israel in the coming days.”

Pointing to the Israeli assassination of Hamas leader, Rafiqdoust said, according to the Persian-language site “KhabarOnline”, "After the assassination of Haniyeh, many intelligence teams within the Ministry of Intelligence and special intelligence have started working on this issue.” He added, “For example, Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah was informed about it, and many Iranian officials have also been warned to keep their mobile phones away from them."  

Moreover, the first IRGC minister noted that Sayyed Nasrallah had issued instructions a few months ago for Hezbollah members not to carry mobile phones. “This is a new step that should be taken seriously to avoid any further incidents.”

Thousands of pager devices and hundreds of ICOM V82 radios exploded across several regions in Lebanon on Tuesday and Wednesday due to Israeli cyber attacks, killing 32 people and injuring more than 3,450 others, including the Iranian ambassador and two of his guards. Most of the casualties were Hezbollah members.

Rafiqdoust considered the injury of the ambassador as"a deliberate act.”