TEL AVIV — Israel’s military has been preparing for a massive cyber attack by Iran.

Military sources said the Israel Defense Forces was training and equipping units to counter cyber attacks by the Teheran regime.

The sources said Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps was building a cadre of expert hackers assigned to penetrate and destroy Israel’s military and civilian computer networks.

“One successful hacking operation could be more damaging than even a salvo of missiles,” a military source said. “It also leaves no recourse for retaliation.”

The Israeli military’s C4I Directorate has been assigned to protect the computers of the armed forces. On April 17, the directorate graduated its first group of 30 soldiers trained in cyber warfare and assigned to stop infiltration of military computers.

The graduation ceremony took place one year after the establishment of the military’s Cyber Defense Division, located in the C4I Directorate. The division marks the latest effort by the military and government to prevent cyber attacks.

In late 2011, the Israeli newspaper Jerusalem Post reported on an Iranian project to bolster cyber warfare capabilities. The newspaper said Iran planned to invest $1 billion for technology and training.

Over the last year, the military has encountered several attempts to destroy its computer network. In most of the cases, the foreign hackers were believed to have come from Iran or other Islamic states.

The Cyber Defense Division was meant to focus on prevention of cyber attacks. Military Intelligence, particularly Unit 8200, was believed to have been assigned the capability to conduct cyber warfare.

Israel’s military has become digital, with officers and many soldiers relying on laptop or hand-held computers. The sources said a key concern was that Iran or its proxies would preempt a shooting war by first shutting down Israel’s military and government computer networks.

“There have been indications over the last year, that Iran was testing our networks,” the military source said. (Copyright © 2012 East West Services, Inc. 04/27/12)