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Israel: Cyber War with Iran is Unparalleled

A broken Ethernet cable is seen in front of binary code, and the words "cyber security" (Reuters)
A broken Ethernet cable is seen in front of binary code, and the words "cyber security" (Reuters)
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Israel: Cyber War with Iran is Unparalleled

A broken Ethernet cable is seen in front of binary code, and the words "cyber security" (Reuters)
A broken Ethernet cable is seen in front of binary code, and the words "cyber security" (Reuters)

Israeli defense and cyber intelligence unit commanders announced that the conflict with Iran has no parallel in the cyber-realm.

They explained that since its outbreak in 2013, this war has become increasingly complex, noting that Israel is the strongest party, but the enemy must never be underestimated.

Colonel Uri Stav, deputy head of the 8200's offensive unit, and Colonel Omer Grossman, Vice President of the same brigade for defense affairs, said Iran's offensive capabilities are also improving.

Iran is also activating several of its arms and militias, such as Hezbollah in Lebanon, and it mobilizes support in this field for the Islamic Jihad and Hamas organizations in Palestine.

Stav said: "One of the challenges is that Iran supports organizations that are on our borders but are physically distant from us. When it comes to cyberwarfare, distance doesn't exist."

He explained that Iran managed to sabotage the water system in Israel, disrupting it for several hours, and even tried to poison the water, but Israel responded to the attack.

But Stav adds that the level of its performance is still very far from the Israeli level.

For his part, Grossman admitted that the enemy must never be underestimated, as a rule.

"But I can say with full confidence that the abilities on our side are infinitely higher. This is not the same league at all, not even the same sport. To date, there has been no functional damage to our systems due to attacks by Iran."

The threat, he estimates, will increase in the coming years.

Unit 8200, which was initially made of five people, including a secretary and a driver, has become the most significant military brigade and includes among its ranks soldiers and officers more employees and agents in the Mossad and the Shin Bet combined.

It cooperates with its US counterpart, the "National Security Agency" (NSA).

The two cyber units in the Israeli army were established as an emergency cell 11 years ago and detected in 2014, the first Iranian major cyber war attack during the "Protective Edge" war on Gaza.

The Iranian-backed attack, executed by the "Syrian Electronic Army" at the time, managed to hack the Twitter account of the Israeli army's English spokesperson.

The hackers warned of a possible nuclear leakage in the region after two missiles hit the Dimona nuclear reactor, but Israel repaired the damage within a few minutes.

Some reports were published about this cyber war but did not receive the importance they deserved at that time. However, experts have conducted several types of research on the subject.

Director of the cybersecurity program at the Institute for National Security Studies in Tel Aviv, Colonel Gabi Siboni, said there is an excellent possibility that this Iranian cyber advance in the Protective Edge would mark the beginning of cyber warfare, which will replace classic terrorism as a central tool in Iran war with Israel.

Siboni warned that the threat is that cyber-attacks against Israel will be able to strike the domestic front, adding that Iran is rapidly and subtly close to "bridging the gap" in cyber technology with Israel.

"We should not be naive," said the commander of the cyber unit.

The Iranian axis is constantly looking for loopholes in the armor of the Israeli army and the cyber field.

He warned that in the coming wars, cyber capabilities would be more critical than in previous wars, asserting Israel's readiness to repel and respond more than ever.

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Trump Administration Cancels Travel for Refugees Already Cleared to Resettle in the US

An Afghan refugee man, who asked not to use his name and not to show his face fearing his identity could lead to his capture, speaks during an interview with The Associated Press, in Islamabad, Pakistan, Wednesday, Jan. 22, 2025. (AP)
An Afghan refugee man, who asked not to use his name and not to show his face fearing his identity could lead to his capture, speaks during an interview with The Associated Press, in Islamabad, Pakistan, Wednesday, Jan. 22, 2025. (AP)
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Trump Administration Cancels Travel for Refugees Already Cleared to Resettle in the US

An Afghan refugee man, who asked not to use his name and not to show his face fearing his identity could lead to his capture, speaks during an interview with The Associated Press, in Islamabad, Pakistan, Wednesday, Jan. 22, 2025. (AP)
An Afghan refugee man, who asked not to use his name and not to show his face fearing his identity could lead to his capture, speaks during an interview with The Associated Press, in Islamabad, Pakistan, Wednesday, Jan. 22, 2025. (AP)

Refugees who had been approved to travel to the United States before a deadline next week suspending America's refugee resettlement program have had their travel plans canceled by the Trump administration.

Thousands of refugees who fled war and persecution and had gone through a sometimes yearslong process to start new lives in America are now stranded at various locations worldwide. That includes more than 1,600 Afghans who assisted America's war effort, as well as relatives of active-duty US military personnel.

President Donald Trump paused the refugee resettlement program this week as part of a series of executive orders cracking down on immigration. His move had left open the possibility that refugees who had been screened to come to the US and had flights booked before the Jan. 27 deadline might be able to get in under the wire.

But in an email dated Tuesday and reviewed by The Associated Press, the US agency overseeing refugee processing and arrivals told staff and stakeholders that "refugee arrivals to the United States have been suspended until further notice."

There are a little more than 10,000 refugees from around the world who had already gone through the lengthy refugee admission process and had travel scheduled over the next few weeks, according to a document obtained by the AP. It was not immediately clear how many of those had been set to arrive by upcoming deadline.

Among those are more than 1,600 Afghans cleared to come to the US as part of the program that the Biden administration set up after the American withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021.

Many veterans of America's longest war have tried for years to help Afghans they worked with, in addition to their families, find refuge in the US. Many were prepared for a suspension of the resettlement program but had hoped for special consideration for the Afghans.

"The Trump administration’s early pause of refugee flights is alarming, leaving thousands of Afghan allies in fear and uncertainty," said Shawn VanDiver, a Navy veteran and head of #AfghanEvac, a coalition supporting Afghan resettlement efforts. "We are ready to partner to fix this and urge clear communication with impacted families. Let’s honor our promises and uphold America’s values."

There is a separate path — the special immigrant visa program— specifically for Afghans who worked directly with the US government. VanDiver's group said that program, set up by Congress, did not appear to be affected at this time.

Trump's order signed Monday had given the State Department a week before it began to halt all processing and traveling. It appears the timing was moved up, though it was not immediately clear what prompted the change.

The State Department referred questions to the White House.

Agencies that help refugees settle and adjust to life in America have argued that this is the type of legal immigration that Trump and his supporters say they like and have pointed to the stringent background checks and sometimes yearslong wait that refugees endure before setting foot in America.

"This abrupt halt to refugee admissions is devastating for families who have already endured unimaginable hardship and waited years for the chance to rebuild their lives in safety," Krish O’Mara Vignarajah, head of Global Refuge, one of the 10 US resettlement agencies, said in a statement Wednesday.

"Refugees go through one of the most rigorous vetting processes in the world, and many are now seeing their travel canceled just days, or even hours, before they were set to begin their new lives in the United States," she said. "It’s utterly heartbreaking."

Refugees are distinct from people who come directly to the US-Mexico border with the goal of eventually seeking asylum. Refugees must be living outside of the US to be considered for resettlement and are usually referred to the State Department by the United Nations.

While the resettlement program has historically enjoyed bipartisan support, the first Trump administration also temporarily halted resettlement and then lowered the number of refugees who could enter the country annually.