Israel reportedly maintained secret, years-long communications with Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad in an attempt to cut Syria-Iran ties. Israel Defense Forces corresponded with high-ranking Syrian officials via WhatsApp, posing as a man called Musa, to warn against Iran's arms transfers to Hezbollah. Israel sought to offer Assad a deal to ease international sanctions against his regime in exchange for blocking Iran's arms shipments. The correspondence with Assad served to prove Israel's ability to reach their private phones, show the precision of Israel's operations, and threaten further action. The United States and Russia also helped Israel relay messages to Assad.