FULL: Netanyahu Addresses Ariel Terror Attack and Elections

NEWS DESK | As two Israeli families mourn the passing of their loved ones in a terror attack at Ariel, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu took the opportunity to address Israel's security concerns and the latest in the election polls.  Story: Iran’s Foreign Ministry denied reports that it hacked the cellphone of Blue and White party leader Benny Gantz and accused Israel of fabricating the incident to 'create a hostile atmosphere against Iran'. Israel’s Channel 12 reported last week that Israeli intelligence and security agency Shin Bet informed the party leader that his phone had been breached shortly after announcing his election bid after Iranian programmers got hold of his personal details and text messages, revealing both personal and professional information. Accusing Israel of 'distributing lies,' Tehran’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Bahram Qasemi said the Jewish State was 'fabricating various kinds of irrelevant claims to create a hostile atmosphere against Iran.'  Gantz is poised as a the main front-runner to potentially unseat Netanyahu' as the premier faces several charges of corruption. After the Blue and White party confirmed the report, both Gantz and Yair Lapid, the party’s co-leader, accused Netanyahu forces of being behind the leak about the hack, and requested a probe into the matter by the attorney general.   'It is important to emphasize that this incident happened four years after Gantz finished his tenure as chief of staff, [a fact] that raises many questions regarding the timing of the report's publication,' the party said in a statement. 'Given that the ‘hack’ reportedly took place a long time ago, and given that it’s inconceivable that a source in the security services would leak details about an alleged ‘Iranian hack,’ and noting the timing of the ‘leak’ it was clearly done by someone who has access to sensitive defense information and possesses an interest in harming Gantz,' Blue and White said on Saturday in an official appeal to Attorney General Avichai Mandelblit to investigate the report. The hack constitutes 'the most severe breach of trust,' Blue and White said, charging that 'there is a series of indications that trace a path for the ‘leak’ to a very specific office in Jerusalem.' Netanyahu and his Likud party have outright rejected the allegations, saying the Blue and White party is trying 'to distract from the fact that the Iranian regime openly supports' Gantz. The issue of election interference through various means has been a concern voiced by many officials ahead of the snap election scheduled for April 9. In the lead-up to the vote, Shin Bet warned of attempts by unspecified 'foreign nations' to influence the Israeli vote and amid a global crackdown by big tech companies amid anxiety that social platforms are being used to manipulate elections by distributing fake news reports that inflame political divisions and confirm voters’ biases. In response, Israel’s election committee urged technology giant Facebook to step up its monitoring of subversive practices on its social network and bring forward the launch of the tool intended to prevent foreign meddling. Facebook ads have been at the center of an FBI investigation over Russia's alleged meddling in the 2016 US election that saw Donald Trump take office, as well as in votes across Europe. Since Israel votes with paper ballots, any cyber election meddling would likely involve efforts to manipulate public opinion by spreading false information online. For more, see our ⬇ Website Articles: https://www.i24news.tv/en Live: https://video.i24news.tv/page/live?cl... (Subscription) Replay: https://video.i24news.tv/page/5a97b81... (Subscription) Social Media Facebook:   / i24newsen   Twitter:   / i24news_en   Instagram:   / i24news