Defense Minister says Israel must counter cyber security threats with investment in cyber defense infrastructure.
By JPOST.COM STAFF, YONAH JEREMY BOBUpdated: JUNE 24, 2015 15:34Moshe Yaalon(photo credit: MARC ISRAEL SELLEM/THE JERUSALEM POST)
Defense Minister Moshe Ya’alon called cyber "its own battlefield" Wednesday at a Cyber Conference at Tel Aviv University. He said Iran, terror organizations, cyber hackers, and Hezbollah activists have all threatened Israel militarily and economically in the cyber sphere."Cyber allows asymmetric attacks by weaker players with limited monetary investment," he said, emphasizing the need for increased investment in cyber defense infrastructure that would counter the threats."Cyber attackers can hit us," he said, "but we need to hit them back."Ya'alon also addressed the recent increase in rocket attacks aimed at Israel by Gaza militants, adding that Hamas is being held responsible for Tuesday's rocket launch from the Gaza strip into an open area in Southern Israel's Yad Mordechai region, despite the fact that Islamic State affiliates took responsibility for the launch.He said such rocket attacks from the Gaza Strip force the Israeli government to veto some of the measurements taken to ease the conditions of Palestinians in the strip during the month of Ramadan.He then turned his attention to the recent attacks of Israeli Druse on IDF ambulances in the Galilee. "Israel is acting responsibly regarding the Syrian situation and will continue to rescue injured Syrians," despite recent events in the Druse communities, he said, calling the attacks on such humanitarian attempts "unreasonable."
