A senior Israeli security official has reported a substantial increase in Iranian cyberattacks targeting Israel, coinciding with ongoing Israeli military operations against Iran. Yossi Karadi, Director General of Israel's National Cyber Directorate, stated that the number of hostile cyber incidents escalated dramatically between June 2025 and June 2026.
During June 2025, Israeli authorities recorded approximately 1,600 cyber incidents attributed to Iran. This figure surged to around 4,800 incidents in the same month of 2026, according to Karadi's remarks to the German newspaper Die Welt.
"Some groups are very skilled," Karadi was quoted as saying. "We can handle them, but we have to take them seriously. Unlike in the kinetic realm, there's no ceasefire in cyberspace." He emphasized the persistent nature of cyber threats, noting the absence of a de-escalation equivalent to a ceasefire in physical conflicts.
Karadi detailed that the cyberattacks were directed at a wide range of targets, including critical infrastructure, major organizations, and small to medium-sized businesses, with law practices and accounting firms identified as examples of smaller entities affected. While critical infrastructure systems have so far been successfully defended, Karadi indicated that less secure systems were vulnerable to data destruction.
Iran has consistently denied involvement in cyber campaigns against other nations, while simultaneously reporting its own experiences with cyberattacks. The Directorate General's statements highlight the evolving landscape of digital warfare and its implications for national security.
