Israel's minister in charge of police said on Monday he was setting up a state commission of inquiry after a newspaper said the force had illicitly used spyware against confidants of ex-Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and other public figures.
Pegasus, a cellphone hacking tool made by Israel's NSO Group, was used to "phish for intelligence even before any investigation had been opened against the targets, and without judicial warrants", Calcalist daily said in an unsourced report.