After a journalist was mistakenly added to a Trump administration secret chat, questions arise if Israel could face similar breaches; while classified info is officially shared via encrypted phones, aides admit ministers often receive it through other channels too
A major security breach like the one that occurred involving Trump administration staffers — when a journalist was accidentally added to a Signal group where highly classified information about a U.S. strike on the Houthis was shared — is unlikely to happen in Israel. However, that does not mean classified information cannot be leaked through digital communication platforms.
In Israel, classified materials are provided to Cabinet ministers only via a military-issued encrypted phone or through a courier. Officially, no classified material is transmitted via other media, such as WhatsApp, Signal or email.
(Photo: Haim Zach, GPO)
The National Security Council (NSC) is solely responsible for updating Cabinet ministers. It is not involved in the dissemination of classified information to other security agencies, where there are thousands—if not tens of thousands—of personnel receiving such updates.
The transmission of the vast majority (99.99%) of classified materials within security organizations is managed and supervised by the Director of Security for the Defense Establishment (Malmab) at the Defense Ministry.
Encrypted military phones and secure “red phones” in the homes and offices of security officials remain operational on Shabbat and holidays, ensuring continuous communication without the need for alternative, unregulated channels. While ministers receive non-classified updates in a Cabinet group chat, any critical update is flagged with a notification instructing them to check their encrypted military phone.
At government meetings, ministers are prohibited from bringing phones into the room. However, their aides acknowledge that, in practice, ministers and military officers sometimes receive classified information through other channels.
“People rely too much on digital encryption, which is not as secure as they believe,” said one source. Moreover, many ministers—like many Israelis—regularly use WhatsApp for phone calls and assume it is secure, leading to a situation where security updates may be exchanged in unofficial chat groups.
“I have never received an unclassified document from a government office or fellow minister via an online app. It just doesn’t happen, because there is strict adherence to ensuring that printed classified materials do not leave meetings,” a government minister commented. “Updates are shared on WhatsApp, but nothing officially classified.”
As reported by Ynetnews