Islamic State and cyberattacks are among most pressing threats facing Asean, according to Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong

Southeast Asia faces “very real” threats from Islamic State (IS) group despite their defeat in the Middle East, as well as cyberattacks, Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong warned on Saturday as he opened a regional summit.

Parts of the 10-country region, encompassing about 650 million people, have long struggled with Islamic militancy and the emergence of IS has served as a new rallying point for radicals and re-energised extremist groups.

A deadly gun and suicide-bombing attack in Indonesian capital Jakarta in 2016 was the first IS-claimed assault in the region, while the Philippine city of Marawi was overrun last year by fighters loyal to the jihadists, triggering a months-long battle that killed hundreds.

Fears are also growing that Southeast Asia, which is home to booming economies where a growing number of people are adopting digital technology in their everyday lives, could be increasingly targeted by cyberattackers.

Opening the summit of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) in Singapore, Lee warned that IS continues to threaten the region despite their military defeat in Iraq and Syria, while the move towards digitalisation has made countries more vulnerable to cyberattacks.

“Southeast Asia is at peace, but these threats are very real,” he said. “We need to be resilient to both conventional threats, and also non-conventional threats such as terrorism and cyberattacks.”