Security News > 2020 > May > Bitter Israel-Iran Rivalry Takes New Forms Online
Hacked websites in Israel, a reported cyberattack in Iran and a Twitter war between their leaders: the arch foes' animosity is flaring up online.
The latest volleys in Israel and Iran's longstanding rivalry coincide with the 20th anniversary of the Israeli army's withdrawal from southern Lebanon, forced out by Iranian-backed militant group Hezbollah.
While Israelis celebrate their 1967 capture of the eastern part of the holy city, Iran commemorates the day with events marking Palestinian and Muslim connections to the holy city, expounding its opposition to Zionism - the founding ideology of Israel.
The morning after the Twitter barbs, Israelis woke to a series of cyberattacks targeting websites of businesses, municipalities and NGOs with a message in Hebrew and English: "The countdown to the destruction of Israel began long ago".
Israel has launched hundreds of strikes in Syria since the start of the civil war in 2011, targeting Syrian government troops as well as allied Iranian forces and Hezbollah fighters.