‘Get away from Hezbollah’: Has Israel hacked Lebanon’s telecoms networks?

Israel sends text messages and recordings to scores of people and hacks radio networks.

Israeli military officials have warned residents in southern Lebanon and parts of Beirut to evacuate villages and neighbourhoods, sparking worries of a bombing campaign exploding into a full-blown war — and that Israel had hacked into its northern neighbour’s telecommunications networks.

The bombing began within hours of Monday’s warnings, and more than 180 people have been killed in attacks across Lebanon’s south. But Israeli military spokesperson Daniel Hagari also announced plans to launch a “large-scale” aerial operation in eastern Lebanon.

And the warnings to residents of Beirut suggest Israel might be planning to expand its bombing campaign to the capital.

As fears of a war escalate, the warnings, experts say, are in themselves also a reminder of Israel’s technological superiority over Lebanon. They also repeat a playbook that Israel has used in Gaza.

Here’s what’s happened, why the warnings are significant and how Israel might have gained access to the private communication details of people across Lebanon.