Syria says pro-government TV's news service hacked

BEIRUT — Syria's state broadcaster said on Sunday that the text message news service of a separate, pro-government TV station had been hacked and was being used to disseminate "false messages."

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A headline displayed on state Syria tv said: "The administration of Addounia draws the attention of its subscribers to the fact that it has temporarily halted its SMS service, and calls citizens to be wary of the false messages being sent now."

Separate headlines on Addounia cautioned against a text message asking people "to avoid public squares for security reasons," and advised that its subscribers ignore all SMS messages on its service until further notice.

The station was the target of European Union sanctions imposed on Syria in September, in response to President Bashar al-Assad's bloody crackdown on mass protests - and, increasingly, an armed insurgency - against his rule.

The station uses the SMS service to send messages to viewers who have signed up.