A major scandal involving Israeli spyware firm Paragon has rocked Italy and Europe, sparking outrage across the region. Reports have revealed that journalists and activists in Italy were spied on using Paragon’s surveillance software,

Israeli newspaper Haaretz later confirmed The Guardian’s report, adding that Paragon had terminated its deal with two Italian government agencies — a law enforcement agency and an intelligence agency — and disconnected their access to its spyware product called Graphite, according to the paper’s anonymous sources.

Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni's office issued a statement denying it had spied on its own citizens, and saying it had referred the matter to the National Cybersecurity Agency.