Apple sued spyware maker NSO on Tuesday for targeting the users of its devices, saying the Israeli firm, at the center of the Pegasus surveillance scandal, needs to be held to account.

The Israeli company was engulfed in controversy over reports that tens of thousands of activists, journalists and politicians were listed as potential targets of its Pegasus spyware.

A few weeks ago, US authorities restricted relations between NSO and American groups because the Israeli firm "enabled foreign governments to conduct transnational repression."

In a statement, Apple said that it is "seeking a permanent injunction to ban NSO Group from using any Apple software, services, or devices" to prevent "further abuse and harm to its users."

"NSO Group creates sophisticated, state-sponsored surveillance technology that allows its highly targeted spyware to surveil its victims," the tech giant added.

Craig Federighi, Apple’s senior vice president of Software Engineering criticized the Israeli company and said “State-sponsored actors like the NSO Group spend millions of dollars on sophisticated surveillance technologies without effective accountability. That needs to change."

Following the initial concern over Pegasus, a subsequent wave of worries emerged when iPhone maker Apple released a fix in September for a weakness that can allow the spyware to infect devices without users even clicking on a malicious message or link.

Israeli Pegasus Parent Company Added to US 'Black List'

On november third,The United States placed "Israel's" spyware maker NSO Group, the corporation behind the notorious Pegasus, on its list of restricted companies. NSO Group's Pegasus was exposed as having been used by oppressive regimes to spy on journalists, human rights activists, dissidents, and even heads of state.

According to an investigation led by The Washington Post and 16 media partners, Pegasus is military-grade spyware leased by the Israeli firm 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 the 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.

Read more: Pegasus, "Israel's" Trojan Horse