Al Mayadeen English

  • Ar
  • Es
  • x
Al Mayadeen English

Slogan

  • News
    • Politics
    • Economy
    • Sports
    • Arts&Culture
    • Health
    • Miscellaneous
    • Technology
    • Environment
  • Articles
    • Opinion
    • Analysis
    • Blog
    • Features
  • Videos
    • NewsFeed
    • Video Features
    • Explainers
    • TV
    • Digital Series
  • Infographs
  • In Pictures
  • • LIVE
News
  • Politics
  • Economy
  • Sports
  • Arts&Culture
  • Health
  • Miscellaneous
  • Technology
  • Environment
Articles
  • Opinion
  • Analysis
  • Blog
  • Features
Videos
  • NewsFeed
  • Video Features
  • Explainers
  • TV
  • Digital Series
Infographs
In Pictures
  • Africa
  • Asia
  • Asia-Pacific
  • Europe
  • Latin America
  • MENA
  • Palestine
  • US & Canada
BREAKING
Lebanese Health Ministry: One martyr in Israeli strike on motorcycle in Nabatieh al-Fawqa, South Lebanon.
Al Mayadeen's correspondent: Israeli drone targets motorcycle in Nabatieh al-Fawqa, South Lebanon.
US President Donald Trump: I don't want to say Israeli strike is imminent
US President Donald Trump: Israeli strike [on Iran] could very well happen
US Ambassador to Tel Aviv Mike Huckabee: Israeli attack on Iran without US greenlight is unrealistic scenario.
Iranian media: Documents indicate that Merav Zafary-Odiz was tasked with stoking confusion about Iran's peaceful nuclear program
Iranian media: The documents indicate that Merav Odiz was tasked with diverting world opinion away from "Israel's" non-peaceful nuclear program
Iranian media: Documents reveal direct coordination between the Zionist entity's representative, Merav Zafary-Odiz, and Grossi
Iranian media: One document reveals that Merav Zafary-Odiz, "Israel's" representative at the agency, requested an immediate meeting with Grossi on May 10, 2016
Iranian media: One document reveals coordination between the [Israeli] entity and Grossi to incite tensions against Iran just five months after the nuclear agreement was concluded

NSO's Pegasus targets UN-backed investigator into possible Yemen war crimes

  • By Al Mayadeen Net
  • Source: Agencies
  • 20 Dec 2021 10:24
  • 2 Shares
3 Min Read

A UN-backed investigator's phone was targeted with the Israeli Pegasus spyware during his investigation.

  • x
  • Kamel Jendoubi had been mandated by the UN Human Rights Council to investigate possible war crimes in Yemen
    Kamel Jendoubi had been mandated by the UN Human Rights Council to investigate possible war crimes in Yemen.

A UN-backed investigator's mobile phone was hacked during his investigation into possible war crimes in Yemen, forensic analysis of the device has revealed.

Kamel Jendoubi, a Tunisian who served as the Chairman of the now defunct Group of Eminent Experts in Yemen (GEE), a panel mandated by the UN to investigate possible war crimes, was targeted by "Israel's" NSO Group, as revealed after experts at Amnesty International and the University of Toronto's Citizen Lab analyzed his phone.

The targeting seems to have taken place weeks before Jendoubi's panel released a report that concluded that the Saudi-led coalition in Yemen had committed “serious violations of international humanitarian law” that could lead to “criminal responsibility for war crimes."

The expert's number was on the leaked database of the Pegasus Project, which was an investigation into NSO by media outlets, which was coordinated by French non-profit group Forbidden Stories.

Read more: Bin Salman’s “Cyberweapon”: Not Only Against Saudis

Related News

Tunisian opposition leader gets 2 more years in jail

Tunisia condemns murder of one of its nationals in France

Saudi Arabia's shuts down the investigation

According to The Guardian, the data seems to show that Jendoubi was being monitored by Saudi Arabia, a longtime former client of NSO, who claimed to have dropped it earlier this year following reports of it abusing the spyware.

An NSO spokesperson told The Guardian, “Based on the details you have provided us we can confirm that Kamel Jendoubi was not targeted by any of our current customers."

The UN mandate to investigate the possible war crimes came to an sudden stop in October, after the members of the Human Rights Council voted to end the investigation. The Guardian had reported earlier that Saudi Arabia used “incentives and threats” to shut down the UN investigation.

What is Pegasus?

  • Pegasus
    Pegasus

According to an investigation led by The Washington Post and 16 media partners that were published on July 18, Pegasus is military-grade spyware leased by NSO to governments who used it in attempted and successful hacks of 37 smartphones belonging to journalists, human rights activists, and business executives.

Smartphones infected with Israeli spyware would become pocket-spying devices, allowing the user to read the target's messages, look through their photos, track their location, and even turn on their camera without their knowledge.

The investigation discovered that 37 targeted smartphones were found on a list of more than 50,000 numbers concentrated in countries known to engage in citizen surveillance and also known to have been clients of NSO Group.

  • Pegasus
    Pegasus

The numbers on the list are unattributed, but via research and interviews on four continents, reporters were able to identify more than 1,000 people from more than 50 countries. Several members of the Gulf royal families, at least 65 corporate leaders, 85 human rights activists, 189 journalists, and over 600 politicians and government officials, including cabinet ministers, ambassadors, and military officers, have all been targeted.

  • Yemen
  • Kamel Jendoubi
  • Tunisia
  • United Nations
  • NSO Group
  • Israeli spyware
  • Pegasus
  • Saudi Arabia

Most Read

The logo of the Iranian Ministry of Intelligence (wikidata)

Iran acquired thousands of sensitive Israeli documents: Exclusive

  • Politics
  • 7 Jun 2025
Iranian demonstrators walk on a caricature of the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during the annual Quds Day rally in support of Palestinians, in Tehran, Iran, Friday, March 28, 2025 (AP)

Iran hits 'Israel' hard without arms; intel breach lays Tel Aviv bare

  • Politics
  • 7 Jun 2025
Iranian Intelligence Minister Esmaeil Khatib in an undated photo (Nournews)

Iranian security minister reveals major intelligence haul on 'Israel'

  • Politics
  • 8 Jun 2025
IAEA leaked to 'Israel' confidential communications with Iran: Fars

IAEA leaked to 'Israel' confidential communications with Iran: Fars

  • MENA
  • 10 Jun 2025

Coverage

All
War on Gaza

Read Next

All
U.S. National Guard are deployed around downtown Los Angeles, Sunday, June 8, 2025, following a immigration raid protest the night before. (AP Photo/Eric Thayer)
US & Canada

ICE raids in LA trap families in harsh conditions: Lawyers

Colombia's President Gustavo Petro speaks at a rally to garner support for a referendum on labor reform, in Cali, Colombia, on June 11, 2025. (AP Photo/Santiago Saldarriaga)
Politics

Petro slams US-linked coup plot, signs decree for popular consultation

President Donald Trump speaks as he signs executive orders in the Oval Office of the White House on April 17, 2025. (AP)
US & Canada

World sees Trump as ‘arrogant’, ‘dangerous’ as ratings sink: Poll

he Department of Defense logo is seen on the wall in the Press Briefing room at the Pentagon on, Oct. 29, 2024 in Washington. (AP Photo/Kevin Wolf, File)
Politics

Future of $240bln AUKUS deal in doubt as Pentagon launches review

Al Mayadeen English

Al Mayadeen is an Arab Independent Media Satellite Channel.

All Rights Reserved

  • x
  • Privacy Policy
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Authors
Android
iOS