Italy's government denies that it has spied on journalists and migrant activists using spyware, but says it will cooperate with any investigation into “vulnerabilities” after at least seven Italian cellphones were apparently hacked with military-grade surveillance technology.

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.

Italy denied on Wednesday that Israeli spyware maker Paragon had cut ties with Rome following allegations that the Italian government had illegally used its technology to hack the phones of critics instead of criminals.