The Israel Defense Forces is tightening phone rules for its senior officers. Army Radio says the IDF will no longer allow Android devices on IDF-issued lines for anyone ranked lieutenant colonel and above. These officers will now get iPhones only.
The goal is simple. The military wants to reduce the chances of someone hacking into the phones of IDF’s soldiers who handle sensitive decisions. Security teams inside the IDF have worried for years that hostile groups try to reach soldiers through common apps and social platforms. And they say higher-ranking officers are prime targets.
Israeli officials have pointed to past attempts by Hamas and other groups to gather data from soldiers. Some of these attempts happened on WhatsApp. Others came through fake online profiles that tried to trick soldiers into installing malware. One well-known case, called Operation HeartBreaker, involved operatives pretending to be women to get access to photos, contacts, and location data.
Because of cases like these, the army has trained units on how to spot social-engineering tricks. It also ran internal drills that copied “honeypot” setups linked to Hezbollah. These drills were meant to remind officers how easy it is to leak information without noticing.
Switching to one operating system gives the IDF tighter control over updates and security settings. It also makes it easier to monitor risks across senior ranks. For now, the army has not said whether the change will cover personal phones used for work.
Army Radio says the order should be issued soon. Once it starts, the rule will apply from lieutenant colonel all the way up to the general staff. The move is part of a broader effort to limit what can be learned about the army through everyday apps and online activity.
