He spied on officials Washington imposes sanctions on a former Israeli intelligence officer

The US Treasury Department announced sanctions on a former Israeli military intelligence officer for his role in founding and managing a company that developed, operated and distributed commercial spyware technology that was used to target Americans, including government officials and journalists.

The United States on Tuesday imposed sanctions on a former officer in Israeli Military Intelligence (AMAN), for his role in developing and disseminating spyware that targeted American officials and journalists, according to an American statement and Hebrew media.

The US Treasury Department said in a statement on Tuesday: “Today (Tuesday), the Office of Foreign Assets Control of the Department of the Treasury (OFAC) designated two individuals and five entities associated with Intellexa, based in Greece, including Tal Delyan, the company’s president and founder and a former officer.” In Israeli military intelligence,” according to what Israeli media reported, including the newspapers “Yedioth Ahronoth” and “The Times of Israel.”

The sanctions also targeted Sarah Hammo (Dillian's wife) and his partner in Intellexa for providing administrative services to the company.

According to the statement, sanctions were imposed on other entities linked to "Intellexa", including "Cytrox AD" based in North Macedonia, "Cytrox Holdings ZRT" based in Hungary, and "Thalestris Limited" based in Ireland, for their role in developing and distributing the spyware known as "Predator". ".

It indicated that those subject to the sanctions “developed, operated, and distributed commercial spyware technology that was used to target Americans, including government officials and journalists.”

The US Treasury Under Secretary for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence, Brian E. Nelson said in the statement, “Today’s actions represent a tangible step forward in confronting the misuse of spyware, which poses an increasing security risk to the United States and our citizens.”

The Treasury Department stated that Intellexa sold and distributed spyware and commercial surveillance tools to authoritarian entities and regimes around the world.

The "Predator" program allows the user to infiltrate electronic devices through "Zero-Click attacks" that do not require any intervention from the user, so that the spyware can infect the device.

The spyware, which was used in dozens of countries, allowed for unauthorized data extraction, geographic location tracking, and access to personal information on hacked devices, according to the statement.

Dillian was linked to the "NSO Group", the creator of the "Pegasus" program, which was used to spy on journalists and human rights activists in many countries.

According to Forbes, Dillian acquired Cytrox in 2019 to make Intellexa a one-stop-shop for hacking and electronic surveillance services and products.​​​​​​

The US sanctions stipulate that all property in the possession of Dillian, his wife, and the five entities located in the United States or in the possession or control of American persons is prohibited.

It also prohibits people in the United States from conducting transactions with them, and financial institutions and other entities that have business relationships with those on the same list may also be subject to sanctions.