Israel moves cyber sabotage units to UAE to turn Persian Gulf into crisis hub: Report

The Israeli regime has reportedly started a cyber-sabotage campaign in the UAE to interfere with the regional air and maritime navigation, thus shifting “the focal point of crisis” from the occupied territories towards the Persian Gulf and the Sea of Oman region.

Iran’s Nour News agency, affiliated with the country’s Supreme National Security Council (SNSC), carried the report on Wednesday, citing an informed security official.

“It has been about a month since Mossad (the Israeli spy agency)’s cyber units have transferred advanced equipment to one of the UAE’s emirates,” the source told the agency.

The campaign seeks, on the one hand, to “disrupt the Persian Gulf and Sea of Oman region’s air and maritime navigation systems, thus destabilizing the regional security situation,” noted the official.

On the other, the bid seeks to “transit the focal point of crisis away from the occupied territories towards the region and [therefore] reduce the political and security pressure faced by the regime’s ruling body,” added the source.

‘Sowing discord among regional states’

Nour News described the campaign as “a comprehensive plan.”

It further quoted the official as saying that, through the drive, Tel Aviv sought to sow discord and misunderstanding among the regional countries and force them into uncalled-for conflict.

The source described this as “the most essential goal” that was being pursued by the regime.

The official said if necessary, more detailed information would be released in due course concerning the whereabouts of the Israeli units, the nature of their technical equipment, and the team’s plans.

The source, meanwhile, expressed certainty that the Israeli team’s work was taking place in “complete coordination” with the United Arab Emirates’ intelligence apparatus.

The report came only a day after at least four ships broadcast warnings off the Emirati coast, suggesting that they had lost control of their steering operations under unclear circumstances.

Reports: Four ships broadcast warning off the coast of UAE after losing control

The cause of the incident, which reportedly took place around 61 nautical miles east of the emirate of Fujairah, wasn’t immediately clear.

The vessels — called Queen Ematha, Golden Brilliant, Jag Pooja, and Abyss — announced via their Automatic Identification System (AIS) trackers on Tuesday that they were “not under command,” according to MarineTraffic.com, which provides real-time information on the movements of ships.

Abu Dhabi normalized its relations with Tel Aviv last year, despite outspoken warnings against its helping the regime to interfere with the region’s political and security equations. 

The cyber sabotage campaign by the Israeli regime comes amid its ongoing efforts together with its allies to accuse Iran of sporadic attacks that have been targeting Israeli and other vessels throughout the region.

The Islamic Republic has strongly cautioned the regime and others against trying to target Iranian interests using such unfounded accusations.

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