April 7,2008:
Earlier this year, Iranian technicians set up several electronic
listening operations in Syria. Apparently, these are there to eavesdrop on
Israeli military, and UN Peacekeeper, communications. Iran had helped Hizbollah
do this in Lebanon during 2006, both before and during that years conflict with
Israel. Iran is believed to have obtained the equipment, and some of the tech
support, from Russian and Western firms. The Russian aid was sold, while most,
or all, of the Western stuff was stolen.
As a
result, Israeli troops now have many restrictions on how they can use their
cell phones. And military communications gear
is being beefed up with better encryption and more prudent rules of use.