Short Takes – 6-24-25

Netanyahu decided on Iran war last year, then sought to recruit Trump. WashingtonPost.com article. Pull quote: “Ultimately, when Netanyahu finally launched his surprise attack on Iran in the early hours of June 13 while Trump’s negotiations were still underway, the decision was not so much driven by new intelligence indicating an Iranian sprint for a nuclear weapon or any imminent threat to Israel. Rather, Israel seized on what it saw as a unique opportunity to execute plans, carefully laid months and years in advance, to heavily damage a weakened Iran that had long waged a bloody proxy conflict with Israel and to set back Iranian nuclear and missile programs, Israeli and U.S. officials and advisers to both governments say.”

Threat of a cyberattack from Iran alarms security experts. WashingtontImes.com article. Pull quote: ““CyberAv3ngers, which is associated with the online persona Mr. Soul, has launched a series of malicious cyber activities against U.S. critical infrastructure on behalf of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Cyber-Electronic Command (IRGC-CEC),” the message said. “CyberAv3ngers actors have utilized malware known as IOCONTROL to target ICS/SCADA devices used by critical infrastructure sectors in the United States and worldwide.””

Iranian cyber threats overhyped, but CISOs can’t afford to let down their guard. CSOOnline.com article. Pull quote: “Still, the cease-fire notwithstanding, in the future, shadowy and ever-morphing Iran-aligned hacktivist groups and Iranian government actors might be able to create operational headaches and reputational damage, and CISOs would do well to prepare their organizations for these possible outcomes.”

Trump tries to maintain fragile ceasefire hours after he announced it. Politico.com article. Pull quote: “Netanyahu’s office said in a release that Israel had “refrained from additional attacks” after the prime minister’s conversation with Trump. According to the statement, Israel “forcefully attacked in the heart of Tehran” four hours before the ceasefire was set to start. Israel also alleged that Iran “launched a barrage of missiles” shortly before the ceasefire began, and continued to do so after the agreement was set to go into effect, prompting Israel to destroy a radar installation close to Tehran.”

U.S. initial damage report: Iran nuclear program set back by months, not obliterated. WashingtonPost.com article. Pull quote: “U.S. intelligence reports also indicate that Iran moved multiple batches of its highly enriched uranium out of the nuclear sites before the strikes occurred and that the uranium stockpiles were unaffected, said the person, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive intelligence matters.”

NATO Aims to Boost Defenses Against Drones, Hacking and Sabotage. WSJ.com article (free). Pull quote: “Western military planners haven’t faced serious threats to logistics since World War II. Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and the risk of further conflict changes that. Now logisticians, who focus on mobilizing troops and sustaining battles, must refine their plans with an eye to homeland security and the risk that adversaries will do everything possible to stop defending forces from leaving bases and engaging in combat. Israeli special forces operating inside Iran targeted its mobile air-defense vehicles and other equipment at the start of Israel’s attack on June 13.”

Cambodia announces 7th H5N1 avian flu case of the year. CIDRAP.UMN.edu article. Exposure to sick poultry reported. Pull quote: “Some of Cambodia's recent cases have been linked to a novel reassortment between an older 2.3.2.1c clade known to circulate in Southeast Asia's poultry and genes from the newer 2.3.4.4b clade spreading globally. So far, it's not known what clade infected the latest two patients.”