The Iranian hacker group Handala claimed on Sunday to have breached the Soreq Nuclear Research Center and stolen 197 gigabytes of data.

Handala, which is considered to be the cyber arm of the IRGC, claimed the hack was in retaliation for the elimination of Hezbollah terror leader Hassan Nasrallah on Friday.

While Handala has not yet provided any evidence of their attack, their claims are generally considered credible, and they often release proof of their attacks. However, on occasion, they have recycled old data to falsely claim attacks.

The Iranian group was behind the cyberattack on Sheba Medical Center three months ago, in which data from a biotech company associated with the hospital was stolen. In addition to any benefits gained from it’s hacking attacks, the group seeks to inflict psychological damage on Israel.

The target of their latest alleged attack, the Soreq Nuclear Research Center, provides research infrastructure for academics and companies. Research at the center includes topics such as food safety, electro-optics, laser development, nuclear testing and air solution detection. The center is not considered to be part of defense activities for Israel.

Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu’s office released a statement saying: “The incident is known and under investigation. The Soreq Nuclear Research Center maintains the highest level of information security protocols, in line with national security regulations.”

{Matzav.com}