Al-Jazeera website defaced by pro-Syrian hackers

Image caption, The hack was claimed by a group calling itself al-Rashedon

The Arabic website of news network al-Jazeera has been defaced, apparently by hackers loyal to the Syrian regime.

A Syrian flag and a statement denouncing its position on the conflict was posted on the Arabic site on Tuesday.

It is the latest in a series of attacks against al-Jazeera and other media companies.

The Reuters news website was targeted by pro-Syrian government hackers last month.

A group calling itself al-Rashedon is claiming responsibility for the most recent al-Jazeera attack.

Its message read: "This is in response to your position against the people and government of Syria, especially your support of the armed terrorist groups and spreading false fabricated news."

A statement from al-Jazeera confirmed that the issue was "quickly resolved". The website is now operating normally.

It is the third such incident since the conflict in Syria intensified. Back in February the English website of the news organisation was hacked by a group calling itself the Syrian Electronic Army (SEA). In July the same group gained access to the organisation's Twitter account and began posting stories denouncing opposition fighters.

The SEA has also targeted Saudi-owned Al-Arabiya News and the Harvard University website.

The Saudi government along with fellow Gulf state Qatar have thrown their support behind the Syrian rebels.

Qatar-based al-Jazeera has covered the Syrian conflict extensively since it began.