Hackers threaten to target Israel in 'history's largest internet battle of mankind'

Hackers have threatened to disrupt Internet operations in Israel in a major cyber attack planned for Sunday, it has emerged.

As a part of operation code named OpIsrael, notorious hacking group Anonymous and similar collectives have in recent days been exchanging information, via social media and other websites, on Israeli the government and corporate websites they plan to target.

On Thursday, Anonymous warned that it was poised to launch "the largest internet battle in the history of mankind," Gulf News reports.

"We will once again be fighting for freedom. Freedom from tyranny, oppression, persecution, and from annihilation," the group warned in a Facebook posting.

According to the report, in a YouTube video, Anonymous said that Israel had "crossed a line in the sand" by threatening to sever all Internet and telecommunications links out of the Gaza Strip.

Israeli radio reported that a number of large organisations had closed their websites to prevent hackers from sabotaging them.

The radio programme reported that organisations involved in the attack would make public information they collect from websites that "will cause Israel embarrassment".