A coordinated cyberattack in Montenegro that started around Aug. 20 crippled online government information platforms and put the country's essential infrastructure, including banking, water and electricity power systems, at high risk.

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The attack, described by experts as unprecedented in its intensity and the longest in the tiny nation's recent history, capped a string of cyberattacks since Russia invaded Ukraine in which hackers targeted Montenegro and other European nations, most of them NATO members.

"We have been faced with serious challenges related to the cyberattack for about 20 days, and the entire state system, the system of state administration, and the system of services to citizens are functioning at a rather restrictive level," Defense Minister Rasko Konjevic told The Associated Press.

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In a formal ceremony on Sunday, Director General of the Defense Ministry Maj. Gen. (res.) Udi Adam and Montenegrin Minister of Defense Predrag Bošković inked the agreement, under which Israel will sell the Montenegrin military remote-controlled weapons stations developed by Elbit Systems.

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Elbit's Remote Controlled Weapons Stations (RCWS) will be installed on the Montenegro army's Oshkosh 4X4 vehicles.

According to Elbit, its RCWS allows gunners to remain safely inside the vehicles while on the move, as the system is operated using handles and a smart screen.

Head of the Defense Ministry's International Defense Cooperation Directorate Brig. Gen. (res.) Yair Kulas said when the deal was signed that Israel "hopes to expand cooperation and exchanges of information with our partners in Montenegro and hope to open more possibilities with NATO member nations."

General Manager of Elbit Systems Land Division Yehuda Vered said the firm was "very proud" to introduce its system into the armed forces of Montenegro and noted that there was already "global demand" for its system, hundreds of which were already in use in both land and naval platforms.

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Los Angeles-born Rabbi Ari Edelkopf, who is the Chabad emissary in Montenegro, has served as the de facto chief rabbi for the local Jewish community for the past two years. There are an estimated 500 Jewish families in the country.

At the ceremony, Edelkopf said: "Teaching Judaism is the greatest honor. The Jewish community in Montenegro is unique and I feel honored to be its rabbi. I want to thank my wife Hannah. Everything I have ever achieved as a rabbi is all in thanks to her and thanks to the Lubavitcher Rebbe, who once said: 'Everyone should share his or her knowledge with others. Even if you know one letter, share it.'"

Montenegro's President Milo Đukanović attended the ceremony, as did Israeli Minister for Religious Services Yitzhak Vaknin, General Director of the Rabbinical Centre of Europe and the European Jewish Association Menachem Margolin, and a host of other officials from Montenegro and Israel.

The event was part of the launch of the 7^th annual Mahar ("Tomorrow") Conference for Balkan Jewry under the auspices of the Euro-Asian Jewish Congress, led by its President Mikhail Mirilashvili who is extremely devoted for the development of Jewish life in the Balkan, the World Jewish Congress, the Jewish National Fund (KKL-JNF) and the Joint Distribution Committee (JDC).

Mr. Chaim Bleckhman spoke on behalf of Euro-Asian Jewish Congress Mirilashvili and CEO Chaim Ben Yaakov.

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