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Yesterday, I received a security notification from Apple warning me that my iPhone had been targeted by a sophisticated mercenary spyware attack, involving technology of the kind developed by companies such as NSO Group, the Israeli firm behind the notorious Pegasus spyware. Perhaps the most alarming aspect of Apple’s warning was its confirmation that such attacks target specific individuals “because of who you are or what you do.” This is not the first time I have been targeted by spyware. I was previously targeted with Pegasus in both 2017 and 2021. I do not yet know who is behind this latest attack, or whether it is connected to my investigative documentary, The Trap, which I directed and co-produced. The film, available on Al Jazeera 360, exposed the details of the September 2024 pager explosions in Lebanon. What is certain, however, is that the targeting of journalists with sophisticated spyware poses a grave threat to press freedom, the confidentiality of journalistic sources, and the very foundations of independent investigative journalism.

This is Zionism. This is what the US and EU support. Cameraman: Ali Ezzedine

Israeli-American brothers sentenced to 30 years in federal prison for serial sex trafficking —— Alon, Oren, and Tal Alexander—three brothers from a prominent Israeli-American family who once dominated high-society real estate and security circles in New York and Miami—were each sentenced to 30 years in federal prison on Tuesday for sex trafficking, conspiracy, and multiple counts of sexual abuse. Presiding US District Judge Valerie Caproni delivered the sentences in a Manhattan courtroom following an emotional, hours-long hearing where more than a dozen survivors delivered harrowing impact statements detailing years of systemic abuse. During the five-week trial, federal prosecutors laid out evidence demonstrating how the brothers exploited their immense wealth, high social status, and Israeli-American background ties to lure women to luxury properties—including estates in the Hamptons and international locations such as Tel Aviv—before drugging and violently assaulting them while incapacitated. While Tal and Oren operated elite luxury real estate brokerages, their twin brother Alon worked as an executive at their family’s security firm, utilizing their network to shield their predatory conduct. Judge Caproni firmly rejected the defendants' late assertions of innocence and unconvincing appeals for mercy, describing their actions as "monstrous" and likening them to "sadistic, misogynistic sexual predators." The landmark sentencing marks a dramatic downfall for the brothers, who maintained their defiant stance even as victims confronted them directly in court. Federal prosecutors had pushed for life sentences, citing the profound psychological trauma inflicted upon more than 70 victims who came forward to investigators.