The office of Israeli Defense Minister Benny Gantz announced today, Tuesday, that he will meet with his French counterpart Florence Parly in Paris this week, to hold talks that include following up on the espionage scandal linked to the "Pegasus" program.
The minister's office said - in a statement - that Gantz will leave tomorrow, Wednesday, to hold talks with Barley, including the Lebanese crisis, nuclear negotiations with Iran, and the "Pegasus" program developed by the Israeli company NSO.
And there were reports that the Pegasus program targeted French President Emmanuel Macron, who was forced to change his phone and private number.
Israeli media reported that Macron asked Prime Minister Naftali Bennett for clarifications about the "Pegasus" spyware program developed by the "NSO" company.
On Sunday, the Israeli Channel 12 indicated that Macron expressed his dissatisfaction with the reports that the program was used against him and against members of his government.
Pegasus is at the center of a suspected global espionage scandal involving journalists, human rights defenders and 14 heads of state.
Paris-based Forbidden Stories and Amnesty International have obtained a list of 50,000 phone numbers believed to have been chosen by clients of the Israeli company to monitor since 2016, and last week it was shared by a group of 17 international media outlets, including Le Monde newspapers. The French (Le Monde), the British “The Guardian,” and the American “The Washington Post.”
Once downloaded to the target's phone, it allows Pegasus to view messages, photos, and contacts, and activate the microphone and camera remotely.
NSO's exports require DOD approval due to the sensitive nature of the sector.
Earlier, the ministry said that Israel had formed a committee to review allegations of misuse of the Pegasus program, including the export licensing mechanism.
Pegasus' supposed targets include 180 journalists, 600 politicians, 85 human rights activists and at least 65 businessmen.
The CEO of the Israeli private company Shalev Julio confirmed that his company exports its technologies intended for use in combating terrorism and other crimes to 45 countries with the approval of the government.
An investigation of the “What is Hidden is Greater” program, which was broadcast on Al-Jazeera screen last December, revealed - in cooperation with an international laboratory specialized in penetration operations - the details of the Israeli spyware program Pegasus and its advanced technology for penetrating and spying on phones, known as the “Zero Click” technology ( Zero Click).