The website of the Egyptian Ministry of Health has still not been restored after it was attacked by Iranian hackers over the weekend.
The hackers, who called themselves Bax 026 of Iran, posted the Iranian flag on the website and a picture of someone wearing Vanitas’ mask from the Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep video game.
“We are close to you,” said the message. “We know your identity and your information belongs to us. Be careful.”
Relations improved between Egypt and Iran during the rule of the late President Mohamed Morsi, however since 2013 when the Gulf countries, which are at odds with Iran, bankrolled the Sisi regime’s coup against him, relations deteriorated.
In November 2018 Al-Sisi rebuked Iran, declaring Egypt would not tolerate any attempt to undermine Gulf security and that Egypt would move to protect its brothers against any threat.
As tension rose between Iran and the US – Egypt’s major ally – last summer amid Trump’s tightening of sanctions, Egypt sentenced six people to jail time on charges of spying for Iran.
Egypt is also part of the Saudi-led coalition against the Houthis in Yemen, who Riyadh accuse Iran of arming.
After Morsi collapsed and died in a court room last year, Turkish hackers attacked the pro-regime newspaper Al-Ahram and posted a picture of him on their site.
In August 2015, the second anniversary of the Rabaa massacre, a group of Turkish hackers took over the official website of Cairo International Airport, and posted the yellow Rabaa symbol, which was used by demonstrators to protest against the violent dispersal.
Shortly after the 2013 coup which toppled Morsi, Egyptian security forces massacred some 1,000 pro-democracy protesters who had gathered in Rabaa Square.
The yellow symbol, made by placing the thumb against the palm of the hand and raising four fingers, was widely circulated at the time in support of the dead.
Relations between Turkey and Egypt have also been strained since 2013 when Ankara offered prominent members of the Muslim Brotherhood refuge.
After Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan called on Egyptian authorities to free Morsi, Egypt asked the Turkish ambassador to leave the country.
Source » middleeastmonitor