Hackers (illustrative)
Hackers (illustrative)Israel news photo: Flash 90

Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu said on Sunday Israel is facing an increasing number of cyber attacks, “just days after Washington issued a veiled warning to Iran over digital attacks on its interests,” reported the AFP.

"There have been increasing efforts to carry out cyber attacks on Israel's computer infrastructure," Netanyahu said at his weekly cabinet meeting. "Every day there are many attempts to infiltrate Israel's computer systems. That's why I established the National Cyber Directorate last year, which serves as an electronic 'Iron Dome' against computer terrorism."

Friday afternoon, former U.S. official James Lewis told the AFP that “Washington believed Iran was behind a major cyberattack on Saudi Arabia's state oil company and a Qatari gas firm in August.”

According to Lewis, U.S. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta “issued a veiled warning to Tehran that Washington was ready to take preemptive action to protect US computer networks.”