An Iranian regime-backed group placed bounties on the heads of Israelis, who it claimed were among the naval commandos who intercepted the Gaza flotilla last week, but many of those named were not in the unit.
Handala, which the US Justice Department has tied to the Iranian Intelligence and Security Ministry, offered $100,000 on each of the 69 Israelis it listed in a Monday statement, claiming that they were “Israeli navy officers who recently attacked the Global Sumud Flotilla.”
The hacktivist group claimed that they were all soldiers or active reservists in the Shayetet 13 naval commandos, yet some of the men appeared to be beyond the age for reserve duty, and many were unlikely to have served in the all-male combat teams, given that they were women.
One man was a communication systems technician on a missile boat in Shayetet 3, rather than Shayetet 13. Another in the Israeli Navy appeared to have an administrative position.
One woman served in the Shayetet 13 unit, but over a decade and a half ago as a naval instruments operator. Another woman served in an IDF diplomatic mission almost 20 years ago and served as a mentor for alumni foundations for Shayetet 13 and Battalion 668 (Search and Rescue).
Handala expresses unwavering support for the Sumud Flotilla: Publishes target list
Some had served in Shayetet 13, but Handala didn’t appear to provide information indicating that they were part of the operations on May 18 and May 19. At least two were not officers, as Handala advertised.
“Handala explicitly declares its solidarity and unwavering support for the Sumud Flotilla and all the Mujahideen of the sea, pledging to stand by them until the very end,” the group wrote on its website. On May 12, Handala published a target list of a few dozen IDF Egoz commando unit veterans and reservists, claiming that they had exposed the identities of 60 senior officers.
Yet many did not serve beyond their mandatory service. The most senior seen by The Jerusalem Post was a non-commissioned officer. None appeared to be officers, and they had already established careers outside the military.
In March, the US Department of Justice seized four web domains associated with Handala target lists and information dumps, alleging that the organization was a front for Iranian cyber warfare.
Handala dismissed the threats, restoring its archives to new websites and calling the seizure of its domains a “desperate attempt.”