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Israeli officials have issued warnings about heightened efforts by Iran to target Israeli athletes at the Paris Olympics, set to begin on Friday. Previously, Tehran had called for the expulsion of Israeli athletes from the games.
In a letter on Thursday, Israel’s Foreign Minister, Israel Katz, alerted his French counterpart, Stéphane Séjourné, to an Iranian-backed plot aimed at the Israeli delegation participating in the 2024 Games.
“There are those who seek to undermine the celebratory nature of this joyous event,” wrote Katz. “We currently have assessments regarding the potential threat posed by Iranian terrorist proxies and other terrorist organizations.”
Also on Thursday, Israeli media reported that a group of anti-Israeli hackers, identifying themselves as “Zeus,” claimed responsibility for publishing personal information about Israeli athletes, including supposed images from their military service.
The National Cyber Directorate of Israel attributed this social media campaign to Iran, asserting that its primary goal is to intimidate the Israeli delegation. According to the Directorate's investigation, hackers have created social media channels to disseminate personal data about delegation members and send them threatening messages.
The hackers reportedly established social media profiles under the guise of GUD, a French far-right student union, using the encrypted chat application Telegram to post sensitive information such as bank account details, home addresses, and ID numbers of Israeli athletes. They also circulated alleged photos of the athletes during their IDF service, accusing the army of sending undercover operatives to the Games.
Gabi Portnoy, head of Israel's National Cyber Directorate, remarked, “Iran is exploiting an apolitical international sporting competition to promote digital terrorism against Israel and its right to participate in these competitions.”
These reports emerged just a day after Israel’s National Security Council issued safety guidelines for Israelis traveling to the Olympics, highlighting the threat from Iran-backed terror organizations targeting Israeli and Jewish individuals. The NSC also referenced recent arrests of French teens linked to the Islamic State.
Meanwhile, French train operator SNCF announced that the high-speed network suffered "malicious acts," including arson attacks, causing significant disruption just hours before the Olympic opening ceremony. Up to 800,000 passengers will face travel disruptions this weekend due to the attack.
The Olympic Games will be held from July 26 to August 11, followed by the Paralympic Games from August 28 to September 8.
