Anonymous Hackers Target Israeli Government Sites Including Mossad

The "hacktivist" group Anonymous took responsibility Monday for bringing down several Israeli government websites, including that of the intelligence agency Mossad. "[The] government of Israel [has] experienced a small fraction of our anger," said the Twitter account @AnonymousGlobo, which claimed to represent the network. It posted links to the websites for various Israeli official websites - including Mossad, the Israel Defense Forces, the Prime Minister’s Office, the Justice Department, and National Security Council among others – at least some of which appeared to be down at 8:30 a.m. ET Monday.

The attacks began last week, according to the Twitter feed, but posts about the action began to escalate late Sunday and continued with a slew on Monday - including the final message: "We're back..." The group also posted a tribute to Tayyeb Shehadah, a 22-year-old protester who according to Palestine's MAAN news agency was killed during demonstrations on the West Bank on Friday. Photographs circulated on Twitter showed Shehadah wearing a Guy Fawkes mask, the symbol of Anonymous.

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Aug. 3, 201400:01

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- Alexander Smith