JERUSALEM (JTA) -- Hackers threatened to remove all traces of Israel from the Internet on the same day that they crashed the CIA's website. The hacker group Anonymous released a video last Friday saying that "For too long we have tolerated your crimes against humanity and allowed your sins to go unpunished." The video accused Israel of fomenting "a nuclear Holocaust" and said that "we will not allow you to attack a sovereign country based on a campaign of lies" -- a reference to the current standoff with Iran over its nuclear capabilities.
In the statement, the group said it has a three-step plan to destroy Israel that will start with "systematically removing Israel from the Internet."
The group took credit for taking down the public website of the Central Intelligence Agency; it was up and running again the following day. The attack reportedly did not access any sensitive information from the U.S. government agency.
Israel and pro-Palestinian hackers have been attacking each other's websites for the past month.
