War Room with Cyber Directorate - and Fear of Iranian Involvement: How Shin Bet Prepares for Elections

The Shin Bet has established a dedicated team to safeguard the integrity of the elections ahead of October 27, and held a classified discussion in the Intelligence Subcommittee. On the agenda: feasibility of attacks, concerns over Iranian, Russian, and Chinese interference in the process, and threats against candidates, including Naftali Bennett.

Ahead of the elections for the 26th Knesset on October 27, the Shin Bet has established a dedicated team to safeguard the integrity of the elections, as revealed to ynet. The team maintains continuous contact with the Central Elections Committee, the police, and regulatory bodies. Last night (Monday), a classified discussion was held in the Intelligence Subcommittee with the participation of Shin Bet Director David Zini, Central Elections Committee Chairman Judge Noam Sohlberg, and Acting Committee Director Dean Livneh. Three main threats were identified: ideologically motivated attacks, security threats to candidates (including former Prime Minister Naftali Bennett), and attempts by foreign countries to influence the elections through cyber and bots. Sources said an escalation was identified in attempts by Iran, Russia, and China to persuade Israelis to take actions that would inflame tensions. The discussion revealed that the Shin Bet conducted joint simulations of attack scenarios with the Elections Committee, the National Cyber Directorate, the National Security Council, and the IDF, and joint war rooms were established for election day. Zini emphasized a clear separation between the Shin Bet's daily work and its responsibility for the elections, under the authority of the Elections Committee Chairman.