Israel Hacked Popular Iranian Prayer App to Urge Defections, Resistance

[Mosby]

Israel hacked a popular Iranian prayer app to send notifications to potentially millions of phones Saturday morning urging the country’s military personnel to defect from the regime and join a fight to liberate the country, according to people familiar with the matter.

The app, BadeSaba Calendar, is intended to help Muslims track prayer times and has wide reach within Iran. It has been downloaded over 5 million times from the Google Play app store alone. The burst of app notifications Saturday morning were sent in Persian and included a message that “help has arrived,” according to various screenshots posted on social media.

The app hack appeared to be one disruption in a broader wave of cyber operations that coincided with Israeli and U.S. military strikes. Iranian state media reported that some news sites, including state news agency IRNA, were hijacked to display articles about Saturday’s attacks and discredit the regime. “A terrifying hour for the security forces of the Ayatollahs’ regime; the IRGC and the Basij have suffered a crippling blow,” one message on IRNA’s front page read.

https://www.wsj.com/livecoverage/iran-strikes-2026/card/israel-hacked-popular-iranian-prayer-app-to-urge-defections-resistance-wtYyb29CmKrTXoJBIV3C

[LuvLoogie]

1. Yeah, word will get out and

will more than likely have an opposite effect.

[JBTaurus83]

2. Just what religious Iranians want

A hacked message from Israel.

[Mosby]

3. Why? We are all sons and daughters of Abraham (pbuh)

Nt.

[JBTaurus83]

4. I don't think the governments

Of either country feel that brotherly affection toward one another. I’d wager a guess that the populations don’t either.

[Mosby]

5. I think that's probably true.

But there are quite a few Iranians inside and outside of Iran who are happy to see the ayatollah go.

[JBTaurus83]

6. I think it's great he's gone

He was a horrible human being. I’m very worried that Iran is going to be transformed into yet another failed state, especially with the drought situation they had already been facing. I have zero faith in The Pig or Bibi doing the right thing here.