New Pegasus spyware revelations as French PM visits Morocco

Five years ago, revelations of Israeli-made spyware Pegasus, purchased by Morocco, was being used to spy on various high-ranking French officials, including the then defence minister, Sébastien Lecornu. Now Prime Minister, Lecornu is on an official visit to Morocco, where new revelations related to the scandal have come to light. Investigative outlet Forbidden Stories reports a group of representatives of Israeli company NSO spending 10 days in a villa in central Rabat in 2017, long before the two countries had normalised bilateral relations. They wowed Moroccan officials with what Pegasus could do: remotely activating cameras and microphones and extracting text messages or data with a single click.

Nearly a decade after, a consortium of 15 news outlets have secured the rare testimony of a whistleblower who was formerly employed by the Moroccan secret services. Le Monde broke down some of what he said: Pegasus was only ever used by Moroccan authorities as a last resort, and that they were buyers of other technologies before and after it came on the scene. They also describe the physical surveillance techniques used on one prominent critic of the monarchy, Omar Radi, who saw his phone tapped, miniature cameras installed in his home light fittings, and his every conversation transcribed. This ended only when he was arrested for espionage, rape and sexual assault, for which he was found guilty in a trial "fraught with irregularities". He later received a royal pardon.

In the US, the Washington Post is covering the choice of 103 house Democrats to vote for an amendment (albeit a symbolic one) to end military aid to Israel. Brought by a Republican lawmaker as an “America first” measure, all of the other votes came from the left of the house, including the opposition chief whip Katherine Clark, who said "we should not provide a blank check for military aid to any country that does not comply with US law, interests and values."

And a headline in the Wall Street Journal suggests Israel's rift with the US extends far beyond its critics on the left, as the periodical reports that JD Vance suspects an Israeli PR campaign of financing influencers to attack him online. He further accuses Israel of running a "foreign influence campaign" to "tank" the peace deal he is attempting to reach with Tehran. His response to which is, "well, go to hell". Meanwhile, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is expected in Washington on Saturday.

And in the football, Argentinian sporting magazine Olé exalts a historic comeback, with one columnist asking, "is it unprofessional to admit one is writing through tears"? Spanish newspaper Marca heralds "the most beautiful final in the world" as Spain and Argentina, European and World championship holders, brace to face one another on Sunday. Argentinian periodical Clarin headlines on the victors’ controversial banner 'The Malvinas are Argentinian', reviving a decades-old sovereignty dispute over the Falkland Islands which are recognised as a British overseas territory. The banner could land the team with sanctions from FIFA. Though, it is unlikely that anything will dampen the team’s spirits after last night's victory.

Meanwhile, in England, the Daily Express are not mincing words with the headline "End of the world". While the Sun splashes the heartbreak of captain Harry Kane, the tears of goalkeeper Jordan Pickford and the despair of Jude Bellingham across the front page, with the headline "Wonderbawl" – a reference to the Oasis song-cum-unofficial England anthem "Wonderwall". And amid the pathos of 60 years of hurt, a look at a BBC story from yesterday: the fan who was so confident football was finally coming home that he spent £550 on a commemorative tattoo. His prediction for the semi-final was a 3-0 win for England. It is a disappointment he won’t easily forget, as it is inked all the way up his right shin.