Hackers breached the website of the Academy of the Hebrew Language early Wednesday, replacing the homepage with a message declaring, “No need to learn Hebrew anymore. You won’t need it much longer.”
The cyberattack comes amid the ongoing U.S.-Israeli war with Iran and appears to be part of a broader wave of cyber activity targeting Israeli institutions.
The Academy of the Hebrew Language is Israel’s official body responsible for the study and cultivation of Hebrew, charged by law with guiding the development of the language.
Visitors to both the Hebrew and English versions of the academy’s website were redirected to the threatening message, accompanied by an image of “Handala,” a symbol associated with the Palestinian national movement.
The character was created in 1969 by Palestinian cartoonist Naji al-Ali and has since become widely used as a symbol of Palestinian resistance.
Handala is also the name of an Iran-linked hacker group that has carried out cyberattacks against Israeli targets. The group has previously claimed responsibility for infiltrating the devices of Israeli politicians and breaching systems connected to the Clalit health-care network.
Israeli officials have warned that Iran-linked cyber groups have intensified attempts to target Israeli infrastructure since the launch of “Operation Rising Lion” on Feb. 28. Israeli cybersecurity experts say such attacks are often intended not only to disrupt services but also to create psychological pressure during wartime.
