US reportedly preparing for possible weekend Iran strike
On Tuesday, a pro-Israel hacking group claimed responsibility for a disruptive cyberattack against a major Iranian bank, and Iran's state-run IRIB News reported that Israel had launched a full-scale cyberattack on the country's critical infrastructure.
Then on Wednesday, the pro-Israel hackers announced a new breach targeting an Iranian crypto exchange.
Predatory Sparrow's claims that it hacked Iran's Bank Sepah and Iranian crypto exchange Nobitex are the latest manifestation of that digital tit-for-tat.
And on Thursday, there were reports that the state-run TV was hacked.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
ABC News
6 hours ago
- ABC News
Australia's commitment to recognise Palestine met with 'disappointment and disgust' by Trump administration
The US ambassador to Israel says the Australian government's decision to recognise Palestine was met with disgust by senior members of the Trump administration. Former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee told 7.30 he discussed Australia's decision with US President Donald Trump. "There's an enormous level of disappointment and some disgust," Ambassador Huckabee said. "I don't know that the president used that word, [but] I would say that is a characterisation of a sentiment. Ambassador Huckabee also said Australia's timing was "terrible". "I think the timing has been very hurtful to any prospects of negotiating some settlement in Gaza with Hamas … this is a gift to them, and it's unfortunate," he said. The ambassador continued his critique of the Albanese government's decision, saying it would have a direct impact on the remaining hostages of Hamas. "For this to come at a time like this, further endangering them and endangering any hopes of some peaceful resolution of dealing with Hamas and getting them to lay down their arms," he said. Australia followed similar commitments to recognise a Palestinian state at the UN General Assembly in September, that were made by France, Canada and the UK. "As Israel's closest partner, we would have expected that there would have been some heads up," he said. On 7.30 this week, Foreign Minister Penny Wong said she had spoken to the US Secretary of State Marco Rubio about the government's intentions. "As a matter of courtesy, I did want to give him advance notice of our announcement," Ms Wong said. Earlier in the week, Minister Wong warned there would be "no Palestine left" to recognise if the world did not act. Asked about Senator Wong's comments, Mr Huckabee claimed Australia's decision could inadvertently push Israel towards annexation of the West Bank. However, in July, the Israeli Knesset passed a non-binding motion calling for the annexation of the West Bank. On Thursday, multiple outlets reported that Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich threatened an expansion of settlements outside Jerusalem. "Those who try to recognise a Palestinian state will receive from us an answer on the ground … and ensure that by September the hypocritical leaders in Europe will have nothing to recognise," he said. Pressed on whether the Trump administration should have sought to influence Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's conduct of the war in Gaza, the ambassador said: "I guess if we wanted to tell them what to do we would, but we respect the fact they were attacked on October 7." On Wednesday, the total number of hunger-related deaths since the war began in October 2023 rose to 235, among them 106 children, according to the Gaza Health Ministry. Asked about Mr Trump's recent comments expressing discomfort at images of malnourished children, Mr Huckabee said Mr Trump had done "more than anyone else" to stop starvation. "He was the one who authorised us to create the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) to start feeding people … get food to people who are hungry to give it to them in a way where Hamas cannot steal it," he said Since the GHF has been operating in Gaza, more than 1,000 Palestinians have been killed while seeking aid, according to the UN. The UN also says 500,000 people are facing famine and every child under five is at risk of acute malnutrition. Watch 7.30, Mondays to Thursdays 7:30pm on ABC iview and ABC TV Do you know more about this story? Get in touch with 7.30 here.
Sky News AU
6 hours ago
- Sky News AU
‘Roadblocks in the way of peace': Sussan Ley on Anthony Albanese's US and Israeli relationships
Opposition Leader Sussan Ley hits out against Prime Minister Anthony Albanese's fumbling of the US alliance while pushing for an Israel-Palestine two-state solution. 'They are roadblocks in the way of peace in the region and the requirement, the wish we have for a two-state solution is further away from reality than ever,' Ms Ley told Sky News host Andrew Bolt. 'I am very disappointed to see our prime minister make such a mess of this.'
SBS Australia
7 hours ago
- SBS Australia
Israeli minister announces controversial West Bank settlement project expansion
Israel's far-right finance minister has announced a contentious new settlement construction in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, which Palestinians and rights groups worry will scuttle plans for a future Palestinian state by effectively cutting the West Bank into two separate parts. "This reality finally buries the idea of a Palestinian state, because there is nothing to recognise and no one to recognise," Israeli finance minister Bezalel Smotrich said on Thursday "Anyone in the world who tries today to recognise a Palestinian state — will receive an answer from us on the ground." Development in E1, an open tract of land east of Jerusalem, has been under consideration for more than two decades, but was frozen due to pressure from the United States during previous administrations. On Thursday, Smotrich praised US President Donald Trump and US ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee as "true friends of Israel as we have never had before". The E1 plan has not yet received its final approval, which is expected next week. It includes about 3,300 homes to expand the settlement of Maale Adumim, according to Peace Now, a group that tracks settlement activity in the West Bank. While some bureaucratic steps remain, if the process moves quickly, construction of homes could start in about a year. International community largely views West Bank settlements as illegal Most of the international community views Israeli settlements in the West Bank, and its military occupation over the region since 1967, as illegal. The United Nations considers these settlements illegal under international law, and the Geneva Convention states that an occupying power can't move its civilians to the territory it occupies. Israel denies that settlements are illegal under international law, as it considers the West Bank to be disputed territory, not occupied territory. Palestinians fear the settlement building in the West Bank — which has sharply intensified since the 2023 Hamas attack on Israel that led to the Gaza war — will rob them of any chance to build a state of their own in the area. Settler violence has skyrocketed, from destruction of olive groves and cutting water and electricity in communities, to incendiary attacks on Christian holy sites. Earlier this year, Australia, alongside Canada, New Zealand, Norway and the United Kingdom, applied sanctions against Smotrich , as well as Israeli security minister Itamar Ben-Gvir over their role in inciting violence against Palestinians in the West Bank. Foreign Minister Penny Wong said at the time the pair had played a role in "serious human rights violations and abuses relating to Israeli settler violence in the West Bank". Wong said the two were "the most extreme proponents of the unlawful and violent settlement enterprise". Rights groups swiftly condemned the E1 plan. Peace Now called it "deadly for the future of Israel and for any chance of achieving a peaceful two-state solution" that was "guaranteeing many more years of bloodshed". There was no immediate statement from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu or the broader government. Smotrich's popularity has fallen in recent months, with polls showing his party would not win a single seat if parliamentary elections were held today. The Palestinian foreign ministry called the new settlement plan an "extension of the crimes of genocide, displacement and annexation". Israel has long rejected accusations of genocide and rights abuses and said it is acting in its own defence. The announcement comes as the Palestinian Authority and Arab countries condemned Netanyahu's statement in an interview on Tuesday that he was "very" attached to the vision of a Greater Israel. He did not elaborate, but supporters of the idea believe that Israel should control not only the occupied West Bank but parts of Arab countries. About 700,000 Israeli settlers live among 2.7 million Palestinians in the West Bank and East Jerusalem. Israel annexed East Jerusalem in a move not recognised by most countries, but has not formally extended sovereignty over the West Bank. The UN and most world powers say settlement expansion has eroded the viability of a two-state solution by fragmenting Palestinian territory. Israel disputes this, citing historical and biblical ties to the area, and says the settlements provide strategic depth and security.
