Cyber conflict between Israel and Iran has included attempted intrusions into infrastructure, disruptive attacks, stolen-data releases, and influence activity online. A reported April 2020 attack on Israeli water facilities caused operational changes at several sites but no interruption to water service. In May, Iran’s Shahid Rajaee port suffered a cyber disruption; U.S. and foreign officials attributed the port attack to Israel.
The 2020 water and port incidents
The Israel Water Authority and National Cyber Directorate said an attempted breach of water command systems had been handled without interrupting supply. Reporting based on Israeli sources described incidents at six facilities, including a pump that ran continuously and data changes at another. Operators restored the affected systems, and water service continued without interruption.
On May 9, systems at Shahid Rajaee port near Bandar Abbas were disrupted, causing delays and congestion. Iranian officials said the attack damaged some private operating systems. The Times of Israel reported that U.S. and foreign officials attributed the incident to Israel, apparently in response to the earlier water-system intrusion.
Intrusions and influence campaigns
Iranian cyber activity has also combined technical access with public messaging. A U.S. interagency CISA report on foreign influence operations described Iran-linked actors compromising Israeli-related systems and publicizing stolen material through accounts disguised as domestic activists. FDD documented the 2024 Dofek TV network, which posed as Israeli media and posted Hebrew content designed to exploit social divisions; its investigation described the network’s accounts and exposure.
Iran’s Ministry of Intelligence-linked MuddyWater group carried out campaigns against government and commercial networks, detailed in a joint CISA and FBI advisory. The 2020 port disruption showed that cyber operations could affect the movement of goods through a major Iranian shipping hub.