Israeli regime officials are reportedly pushing the US government to remove the controversial spyware company NSO Group from the Department of Commerce blacklist.

The cell phone numbers of the Spanish prime minister and defense minister have reportedly been hacked by a client of an Israeli spyware company, believed to be the kingdom of Morocco.

Spyware designed by the Israeli firm NSO Group was used to target senior European Commission officials last year, according to a report citing two European Union (EU) officials.

In a letter on Tuesday, 18 US Senate and House members asked the Treasury Department and State Department to sanction NSO, along with the UAE' cybersecurity company DarkMatter and European online bulk surveillance companies Nexa Technologies and Trovicor.

The mobile phones of at least 11 US diplomats have been hacked by the Pegasus spyware developed by Israeli cyberarms firm NSO Group.

The United States has added Israel's NSO Group and Candiru to its trade blacklist after it determined the spyware makers have acted “contrary to the foreign policy and national security interests of the US”.