One year after a ceasefire agreement was signed by Israel, Lebanon, and five mediating countries, one thing remains clear: Israel is still breaching Lebanon’s digital sovereignty. It continues to penetrate Lebanon’s digital infrastructure through GPS spoofing, signal interference, and drone surveillance that affects its residents.
Constant surveillance through drones
Despite constituting a breach of international humanitarian treaties, like the UN Charter, the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, and the Geneva Conventions, Israeli drones constantly roam the skies of Lebanon on low altitude with impunity.
“Israeli drone expansion is on the rise, creating a new kind of occupation in South Lebanon. These drones fly all over the country and can breach people’s privacy by collecting data and metadata,” warned Mohamad Najem, SMEX Executive Director.
In his piece for the Carnegie Endowment, Najem explains how Israeli drones like the Hermes 450 and 900 act as airborne Signal Intelligence (SIGINT) platforms capable of intercepting mobile signals, WiFi, GPS data, and communication metadata. This allows Israel to map behavioral patterns, track devices, and collect sensitive information from Lebanese residents without having to step foot on Lebanese soil.
Telecommunications remain disrupted in South Lebanon
In South Lebanon, mobile network connection remains weak and is constantly interrupted, even in towns that are relatively far from the border, according to some residents. In line with Israel’s policy of destroying communications infrastructure during war, 227 cellular transmission stations were directly hit, damaged, or put out of service due to Israeli bombardment between September and October 2024.
Despite the Ministry of Telecom’s claims that maintenance work is ongoing on border towns, connectivity still suffers, and residents commute to locations with better signal to perform tasks as simple as calling loved ones. Maintenance work is hindered by Israel’s illegal presence in border towns, routinely targeting workers and residents returning to their homes.
The Lebanese government is yet to make progress in restoring connectivity through other means.
Some temporary solutions include installing different small antennas to support the network, implementing national roaming, and fixing the remaining accessible antennas.
In addition, the two national mobile operators, “Alfa” and “touch,” have repeatedly announced that the network is experiencing interference and jamming. However, the Ministry of Telecom has not taken any steps to investigate the issue or file a complaint with the International Telecommunication Union (ITU).
Political ads and platform accountability
Numerous sources, including SMEX, have documented the infiltration of Israeli and Mossad-sponsored ads on social media platforms like Meta, Google, and Youtube. These ads spread propaganda or try to recruit Lebanese users, who are legally barred from engaging with Israelis. SMEX has repeatedly urged the Lebanese authorities to file complaints with Meta and other platforms.
In the past, Israel had used invasive spyware to spy on journalists and activists. Since the September 2024 assault on Lebanon, many ordinary citizens have reported suspicious activities on their devices, including receiving threatening messages in Hebrew, from Israeli numbers, on WhatsApp. This points to a possible mass infiltration of Lebanon’s network.
Due to the government’s weak cybersecurity provisions, there are no clear safeguards to secure the network from further compromise. As part of its advocacy and accountability efforts, SMEX has published a groundbreaking research exposing the region’s most prominent spyware companies and their links to Israel.
Lebanon’s weak digital governance further exposes residents to these violations. With no comprehensive data protection law and no independent authority overseeing cybersecurity or telecom transparency, the state lacks the tools to safeguard people’s data, secure its networks, or effectively respond to foreign digital aggression.
SMEX has previously published multiple pieces exposing the gaps in Lebanon’s telecom sector, including our latest policy paper, written by telecom expert and former “touch” CEO Wassim Mansour.
The Lebanese government must take these threats seriously and inform residents how to protect their data and privacy. Documenting and reporting such incidents to international organizations is a must. We urge the Lebanese government to monitor these violations more closely and provide clear, public explanations on their mechanisms and implications.
Ultimately, digital sovereignty is a component of state sovereignty, and addressing these issues falls within the government’s responsibilities.
Until Israel is held accountable by the international community for its violations in Lebanon, a sovereign state and a member of the United Nations, it is imperative that the Lebanese government respond by taking the right measures to safeguard the security of its citizens and residents.
