Israel's Shin Bet chief warns of possible foreign election interference

The head of Israel's General Security Service (Shin Bet), David Zini, has warned of possible attempts by Iran, Russia, and China to interfere in the country's upcoming elections.

Speaking at a closed-door briefing, Zini said Iran poses the primary threat, although entities linked to Russia and China could also be involved in efforts to influence the electoral process, Israel's Channel 11 reports, citing sources.

According to the sources, who attended the briefing, Zini said Tehran is not seeking to secure the victory of any particular political party but instead aims to exploit the elections to deepen divisions within Israeli society. The sources described the Shin Bet chief as "extremely concerned" about the scale of the alleged threats.

In response, the Shin Bet has sent special delegations to several countries that had previously experienced alleged election interference attempts by Russia and Iran. The visits are intended to study the methods and tactics used by foreign actors to influence electoral processes and strengthen Israel's preparedness.

Officials from Israel's security services and the Central Election Commission also presented measures designed to protect the integrity of the upcoming vote. According to the reports, dozens of computer systems will be deployed to support voting and the transmission of election data, with each system equipped with a manual backup mechanism to ensure continuity in the event of a technical failure or cyberattack.

By Sabina Mammadli