Shin Bet head warns of Iranian interference in elections: "Top priority"
Shin Bet head David Zini has warned of attempts by Iran and other foreign states to disrupt Israeli elections. The security service is allocating significant resources to safeguard the process.
First publication: In a series of conversations held with senior Israeli officials, Shin Bet head David Zini warned against attempts by Iran and other foreign countries to disrupt the elections in Israel, as learned this morning (Monday) by News 13.
According to Zini, the Shin Bet is allocating significant resources to deal with attempts by Iran and foreign countries to sabotage the election process. Zini defined the elections as the second issue that is "most concerning" to the Shin Bet these days, after the threat of mega-attacks, and emphasized that the service will do whatever is required to prevent any attempt to disrupt the elections.
Sources who participated in the conversations said that Zini appeared "very worried" about the threat.
Last week, President Isaac Herzog made a statement, saying that Shin Bet head Zini and the chairman of the Central Elections Committee, Judge Noam Sohlberg, presented him with various threats to the integrity of the elections, both from within and from without:
"The dangers are great, we must all be careful, wise, and responsible for the content we consume, and even more so for the content we distribute."
About three weeks ago, Zini met with President Herzog and Judge Sohlberg, and together they declared their full support for the Central Elections Committee:
"There are elements from within and especially from without, who seek to influence and sabotage the integrity of the elections and dismantle our society. We are here to ensure that this does not happen. Elections are not a civil war. Elections are a very significant social and democratic process in the life of a nation."
The tripartite meeting was convened at the President's Residence at the initiative of Shin Bet head Zini to discuss preparations for the upcoming election campaign and the importance of cooperation between all bodies to ensure a proper, fair, and safe process.
"The integrity of the elections is a national challenge of the first order," said Herzog. "I am convinced that the excellent employees of the Central Elections Committee will know how to deal with all the challenges."
Outgoing State Comptroller Matanyahu Englman also published a report on the issue of foreign influence on social networks, showing that national preparation in Israel is fundamentally lacking:
"The threat is sharpening ahead of the 2026 elections. A period of an election campaign is particularly sensitive and constitutes fertile ground for malicious activity by foreign actors, to the point of fear of skewing the election results and undermining public trust."
