TEL AVIV — The Israeli military's Intelligence Corps is researching means protect advanced computers and other equipment from natural causes after being shut down for 30 hours by lightening.
On Jan. 14, lightening struck the headquarters of the military
intelligence's Unit 8200 in Herzliya.
Unit 8200 has been regarded as the most prominent intelligence-gathering
group in the Israeli intelligence community. The unit was said to have the
most advanced surveillance and monitoring equipment in the Middle East.
The lightening was said to have
knocked out the computers for 30 hours, Middle East Newsline reported.
"It's hard to know whether the army's intelligence establishment
suffered any damage," an intelligence officer told the Israeli news service
Ynet.
In wake of the blackout, scores of soldiers in 8200 were sent home until
the computers were restored. The sources said this was the first time the
activities of the unit were suspended because of natural causes.
The sources said military intelligence was studying ways to make its
computer network resistant to lightening and floods. They said a huge amount
of information has been stored in the data network of 8200 and other units.
An Israeli military spokesman confirmed that lightening struck the base
and damaged a power system. The spokesman said no damage was caused to the
intelligence-gathering operation.
The sources said methods to protect the computers of Unit 8200 would be
shared with other agencies in the Israeli intelligence community. Unit 8200
cooperates with the Mossad and the Israel Security Agency.