On the anniversary of the assassination of a critical Iranian general, hackers hit the English language Jerusalem Post's website early Monday, substituting its content with a graphic threatening a site affiliated with Israel's undeclared nuclear weapons development.

While no group immediately claimed responsibility, the image uploaded depicted a missile falling from a fist containing a ring long linked with Qassem Soleimani, the Iranian general assassinated two years ago Monday in an American drone operation in Iraq.

The image featured an exploding target from a recent Iranian military training that resembled the Shimon Peres Negev Nuclear Research Center near Dimona.

According to reports, the site already houses decades-old underground laboratories that reprocessed nuclear fuel rods to obtain weapons-grade plutonium for Israel's nuclear weapons program.
Israel has a policy of nuclear ambiguity in which it neither admits nor denies possessing nuclear weapons.

The Jerusalem Post revealed in a tweet that it had been hacked.

"We are aware of the apparent hacking of our website, alongside a direct threat to Israel," the newspaper stated. "We are working to resolve the issue & thank readers for your patience and understanding."

The Israeli administration made no quick response. The hack comes after Israel's former military intelligence chief publicly admitted his country was engaged in Soleimani's assassination in late December.

Iran, too, did not immediately recognize Monday's hack. However, the country has recently increased its commemorations of the deceased Revolutionary Guard general, and Monday's memorial rituals were set to commemorate his demise.

As the Revolutionary Guard's Quds or Jerusalem Force, Soleimani oversaw all of the Guard's expeditionary forces and frequently shuttled between Iraq, Lebanon, and Syria. Members of the Quds Force have been deployed into Syria's protracted civil war in support of President Bashar Assad and into Iraq following the 2003 US invasion that deposed ruler Saddam Hussein, a longtime Tehran adversary.

Soleimani gained fame by assisting the besieged Assad's forces fighting the Islamic State group in Iraq and Syria.

According to US authorities, the Guard led by Soleimani taught Iraqi terrorists how to make and use particularly lethal roadside bombs against US troops following the invasion of Iraq. Iran denies this, and Soleimani has widespread support among many Iranians, who regard him as a hero battling Iran's adversaries overseas.