Blackstone2026-09-02 14:30:28Blackstone Invests $27M in Israeli AI Security Startup HuskeysPrivate equity giant Blackstone has invested $27 million in the Series A round of Huskeys, an Israeli AI security startup. The company focuses on cybersecurity solutions for AI agent traffic. The funding comes amid rising demand for AI-driven network traffic management, highlighting the rapid growth and significant support Huskeys has received, according to Crypto Briefing.260
Iran2026-08-31 23:46:21IRGC commander says deterrence, not war or talks, is Iran's top prioritySenior Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps commander Mohammad Reza Naqdi said Iran's primary strategy in its ongoing confrontation with the United States is to build maximum deterrence rather than restart military conflict or negotiate with its enemies, according to Iran's Press TV. Naqdi said that after roughly six months of war, Iran is considering a shift toward a more offensive phase of military confrontation targeting the United States and Israel. He also said the fighting so far has remained within the bounds of conventional warfare and has not entered what he described as the stage of asymmetric warfare. In remarks cited by Press TV, Naqdi said asymmetric war would mean fighting in places such as Wall Street and Manhattan, at any place and any time, and added that most current Iranian commanders favor offensive thinking. He also stated that all weapons production facilities damaged in the recent war have been rebuilt in highly secure locations and are now operating with new advanced technology at higher productivity.840
Israel2026-08-26 08:51:47Israel sees about 100 data center bids as AI boom strains power gridIsrael has seen about 100 bids for new data center construction in recent months, according to a Techub News brief citing Crypto Briefing. The surge is being driven mainly by rising demand tied to artificial intelligence and cloud computing, two sectors that require growing amounts of computing capacity and supporting infrastructure. The report said the wave of proposals is putting pressure on the local power grid. That strain has also brought the need for infrastructure upgrades into sharper focus, as electricity supply becomes a more immediate constraint on expansion. No further details were provided in the brief on individual projects, timelines, or specific operators. The core takeaway is that demand linked to AI and cloud services is accelerating data center interest in Israel while exposing limits in the country’s existing power infrastructure.820
Israel2026-08-26 06:28:03Israel-backed think tank accused of flooding the web to win citations from ChatGPT and PerplexityAn Israel-funded think tank, the Hanover Institute for Public Policy, has been accused of publishing large volumes of unsigned content with one clear goal: getting cited by AI systems such as ChatGPT and Perplexity. According to the report, Hanover has posted more than 100 articles on Israel-Palestine issues since Aug. 6, many framed as direct questions users might ask an AI assistant. The site also provides an llms.txt file that organizes its pages in a machine-readable index. Politico said that when it tested neutral prompts, both ChatGPT and Perplexity repeatedly cited Hanover. Separate checks by 404 Media and Responsible Statecraft found that most sampled articles were flagged by AI detectors as AI-generated. The report also points to Piro, a public relations firm that openly markets an "AI Story Optimization" service designed to identify the pages most likely to shape model responses and then produce material more likely to be cited by large language models. Piro is now using Politico’s test results to promote that service. U.S. FARA filings show Piro worked through Havas Media on a communications project for Israel’s Government Advertising Agency, LaPam, with two disclosed payments totaling $1 million.1010
Israel2026-08-18 08:49:09Israel allegedly funded a fake think tank to shape AI answers on GazaAn investigation by Responsible Statecraft says the Israeli government spent $900,000 through public relations firm Piro to create a fake think tank, the Hanover Institute, and flood the web with content designed for large language models. The reported aim was to get systems such as OpenAI’s ChatGPT and Google’s Gemini to cite those articles when answering questions about Gaza and Israel. According to the report, the site published more than 100 articles in 11 days, with no bylines attached. Piro reportedly described the tactic on its website as “AI Story Optimization,” a method centered on producing material that looks neutral, well-sourced, and credible to machine systems that rank and reuse online information. The article also cites Drop Site, which found that Microsoft Copilot and Google Gemini had already used content from the network for training, while other chatbots frequently cited the sites without disclosing any connection to an Israeli influence operation. In a separate review, reporter Nick Cleveland-Stout tested 12 articles with GPTZero. Eleven were labeled highly likely to be AI-written and one received a medium-confidence score. NewsGuard analyst Alice Lee said the network closely mimicked the visual and editorial style of a U.S. think tank, including its red, white, and blue design.1070
Bits of Gold2026-08-16 10:28:53Bits of Gold data breach exposes personal information of about 200,000 customersBits of Gold, described in the report as Israel’s largest regulated crypto broker, has suffered a data breach that reportedly led to the theft of personal information belonging to about 200,000 customers, according to Crypto Briefing. The report said all users of the platform may be at risk. Crypto Briefing also noted that Bits of Gold received Israel’s first Virtual Asset Service Provider, or VASP, license in September 2022. In April 2026, the company was approved to issue BILS, a stablecoin pegged 1:1 to the Israeli shekel. The specific types of data taken in the breach have not been disclosed. Still, crypto brokers commonly collect sensitive materials under know-your-customer, or KYC, rules, including identification documents, proof of address, and financial information. The report added that while cold wallets can protect digital assets, they do not secure customer identity files stored on company servers. Past cases show that breaches of this kind are often used for phishing, SIM-swap attacks, and targeted social engineering.1160
Bank Leumi2026-08-15 13:38:44Bank Leumi plans BTC, ETH and SOL trading rollout in early 2027Israel’s largest and oldest commercial bank, Bank Leumi, said it plans to launch trading for Bitcoin, Ether and Solana in early 2027 through its Leumi Trade investment app and the PEPPER mobile banking platform, subject to approval from the Bank of Israel. The bank is working with crypto firm Galaxy Digital, which will supply the institutional trading platform and custody infrastructure. Under the proposed setup, customers would be able to buy, hold and sell the assets directly from their bank accounts without opening accounts at standalone exchanges or using personal wallets. Leumi intends to run the service on a white-label basis, and customers would not control the private keys. The bank had previously announced a crypto trading partnership with Paxos in 2022, but that plan did not receive regulatory approval. Fees, trading limits, the final list of supported assets and rules for withdrawals to external wallets have not been disclosed. The bank also said crypto assets held in custody would not receive the same deposit insurance protection as shekel deposits.1170
Iran2026-08-15 03:13:49Israeli media says Iran is rebuilding missile stockpile faster than expectedOdaily, citing Israeli media, reported that Iran is rebuilding its ballistic missile stockpile at a pace far above earlier estimates from the Israeli military and Mossad. According to the report, Israeli officials had expected Iran’s missile inventory to recover more slowly after the war. The current pace of replenishment has instead surprised officials on the Israeli side. The item was attributed to Jin10 in Odaily’s newsflash.1340
