The next battle between Iran and Israel will take place in the cyber world

The 300 missiles and drones that Iran fired into Israeli territory last Saturday were unprecedented in many ways. However, the threat of cyber attacks was not unprecedented. An Iran-linked hacker group claimed that Israeli radar systems were hacked before the missile and drone attacks. However, Israel's top cyber agency said it had not observed any unusual activity online.

The regional conflict has intensified since members of the Palestinian independence movement Hamas attacked Israel on October 7 last year. Since then, Israel has seen a significant increase in cyberattacks. Gaby Platnoy, head of Israel's National Cyber ​​Directorate (INCD), said Israel is facing three times as many cyberattacks as before.

But this type of cyberwar between Iran and Israel has been going on for more than a decade. In or before 2006, the United States and Israel began developing and deploying cyberweapons. One of their weapons is Stuxnet. The weapon is said to have destroyed computer systems at Iran's Natanz nuclear power plant. However, neither the United States nor Israel have ever acknowledged the development of these weapons. Iran began its cyber program in 2010, when the question of using these weapons first became clear. The US government, along with Russia, China, and North Korea, now views such Iranian plans as a threat.

Mohammad Solaiman, director of the Strategic Technology and Cybersecurity Program at the Washington-based think tank Middle East Institute, said the cyber competition between Iran and Israel is one of the oldest. The Iranian cyber program or malware Stuxnet was powered with proprietary technology.

With the support of the United States and its Western allies, Israel is far ahead in the cyber world. In addition to the Israel National Cybersecurity Agency, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) has a separate intelligence unit called Unit 2800. From here, active cyber operations will begin in cooperation with the United States.