The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) claim to have thwarted a cyber-attack from Hamas by targeting the building where Hamas cyber operatives work, according to IDF.
After the alleged cyber-attack, IDF responded with a physical attack in what Forbes contributor Kate O'Flaherty called “a world first." According to the commander of the IDF's cyber division, identified only by his rank and first Hebrew letter of his name, Brigadier General Dalet, this was also the first time that Israel cyber forces had to fend off an attack while they were also under fire, which required both Israeli technology soldiers and the Israeli Air Force, according to The Times of Israel.
“Israel would not have targeted the building and presumably those in it without a lot more due diligence and intelligence than ‘a cyber-attack was coming from the building,’” Ian Thornton-Trump, security head at AmTrust Europe, told Forbes.
Detailed information about the attempted attack is not being published at this time so as not to provide Hamas with any details about reveal Israel’s cyber capabilities. Brig. Gen. Dalet, would only say that the cyber-attack occurred in the past day and was aimed at “harming the way of life of Israeli citizens,” The Times of Israel reported.