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Hacked emails from former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak have surfaced, reportedly detailing his extensive relationship with the disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein. The correspondence allegedly reveals Epstein's role in facilitating a secret diplomatic backchannel between Israel and Russia amidst the Syrian civil war. According to multiple reports, the emails were obtained by a hacking group known as Handala, which is suspected of having ties to Iranian intelligence. The leaked data, said to comprise over 100,000 emails from Barak’s inbox, covers a period from 2007 to 2016.
The communications suggest that after leaving his post as Defense Minister in 2013, Barak sought to leverage his connections for business and diplomatic purposes. The emails indicate Epstein acted as an intermediary, helping to arrange discussions aimed at opening a line of communication with Moscow, a critical diplomatic effort at a time of intense regional conflict in Syria. This backchannel was allegedly intended to manage geopolitical interests between the two nations as the Syrian war unfolded.
Beyond diplomatic intrigue, the leaked documents detail Barak's close ties with Epstein, showcasing a relationship that continued long after Epstein's 2008 conviction for sex crimes involving a minor. The Wall Street Journal previously reported on documents showing Epstein arranged numerous meetings for Barak with prominent individuals. The recently hacked emails appear to corroborate the depth of their association, including exchanges about business ventures and a potential visit to Epstein's private island.
The files were reportedly passed to the leak-publishing organization Distributed Denial of Secrets. While Barak has previously acknowledged his connection to Epstein, he has maintained he was unaware of the full extent of the late financier's criminal activities. The revelations contained within the extensive trove of hacked emails raise new questions about the intersection of private influence and international diplomacy within the network of powerful figures connected to Epstein before his death in 2019.
