Israel Utilizes Iranian Prayer App to Urge Defections

On Saturday, reports emerged that Israel leveraged a popular prayer app in Iran to send mass notifications encouraging people to defect from the Islamic regime.

The BadeSaba calendar app assists users in tracking daily prayer times and religious observances, according to The Wall Street Journal. With over 5 million downloads on Google Play alone, it’s clear this app connects with a sizable audience across Iran.

Social media platforms were inundated with notifications in Farsi proclaiming “Help has arrived.” This cyber initiative coincided with extensive military operations by Israel and the United States targeting Iranian military and leadership figures, which ultimately led to the death of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.

One notification specifically addressed members of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and the regular army, urging them to abandon their positions. The message read, “The era of dictators is over. Do not sacrifice your lives for a regime that has already fallen. Lay down your weapons and join the people. Help has arrived,” as reported by the newspaper.

Intelligence analysts regarded this breach as a calculated psychological maneuver. By taking control of a trusted religious app, the perpetrators bypassed state-controlled media, delivering messages directly to personal devices commonly used by soldiers and civilians.

President Donald Trump confirmed Khamenei’s death during a joint US-Israeli military operation, which he described as a “large-scale and sustained” effort aimed at dismantling Iran’s military capabilities. Before the operation commenced, Secretary of State Marco Rubio briefed members of the bipartisan “Group of Eight,” which includes key leaders from both the House and Senate, along with heads of intelligence committees.