Mossad hacks popular Iranian prayer app, urges mass defection among soldiers

While no government officially claimed responsibility, cybersecurity analysts quoted in multiple outlets said the operation bore the hallmarks of Mossad and Israel’s cyber warfare units.

By Hezy Laing

A major cyber operation attributed by experts to Israel targeted one of Iran’s most widely used religious applications, sending defection appeals to millions of users across the country.

The BadeSaba Calendar app—downloaded more than five million times—was infiltrated early on February 28, 2026, according to multiple regional media outlets.

The first push notification appeared at 9:52 a.m. local time, reading “Help Has Arrived.”

Additional alerts urged Iranian military and security personnel to defect, lay down their weapons, or join liberation forces, with some messages promising amnesty for those who abandoned the regime.

The hack coincided with U.S.–Israel airstrikes on IRGC and regime-linked facilities in Tehran and other cities, creating a synchronized psychological and military pressure campaign.

Iran responded with a near-total internet blackout, reducing national connectivity to 4%.

While no government officially claimed responsibility, cybersecurity analysts quoted in multiple outlets said the operation bore the hallmarks of Mossad and Israel’s cyber warfare units.

The BadeSaba breach was part of a broader wave of intrusions into Iranian service and religious apps, according to Saudi News, which described the incident as a “new chapter of cyber warfare” directly targeting Iran’s home front.

Reports of Iranian soldiers abandoning posts have increased since late 2025, driven by economic hardship, internal dissent, and intensifying clashes between the regime and opposition groups.

The prayer‑app hack amplified this trend by reaching millions of conscripts and IRGC personnel simultaneously, delivering coordinated calls to defect at a moment of national confusion.

Analysts say the scale of the operation—millions of targeted users—marks one of the largest psychological warfare efforts ever conducted against Iran’s armed forces.