Israel, Not US, Likely Behind Attempt to Hack French President

US Confirmed Neither They Nor UKUSA Members Involved

The scandal surrounding a 2012 attempt to hack the computer network of the French president has taken a new turn today, following extracts from more leaked NSA documents showing Israel was likely the culprit.

In the wake of the cyber attack on the Elysee Palace, the French government assumed it was America’s doing, but the documents confirm that the US wasn’t responsible, and likewise they were able to confirm the other members of the UKUSA (Britain, Australia, New Zealand, and Canada) pact weren’t involved.

Conspicuously, the documents say that Israeli Mossad was explicitly “not asked” because there is an existing agreement not to ask the spy agency about its operations in France.

The office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu refused to directly address the allegations, and would only say that Israel hadn’t done anything that “could pose a threat” to French security.

Author: Jason Ditz

Jason Ditz is Senior Editor for Antiwar.com. He has 20 years of experience in foreign policy research and his work has appeared in The American Conservative, Responsible Statecraft, Forbes, Toronto Star, Minneapolis Star-Tribune, Providence Journal, Washington Times, and the Detroit Free Press.