Israel Plunges Iran Into Digital Darkness in Largest Cyberattack in History

As Israeli fighter jets and cruise missiles pounded military targets across Iran, a second, invisible battlefield erupted inside the Islamic Republic and it may have been even more devastating.

In what analysts are calling one of the largest coordinated cyber offensives in modern history, Israel allegedly launched a sweeping digital assault that crippled Iran’s critical infrastructure, knocked state media offline, and severed key military communications plunging the country into near-total blackout.

The cyber onslaught reportedly unfolded in parallel with the kinetic strikes carried out under what Israeli sources described as Operation “Roar of the Lion.”

Internet Collapsed

According to internet monitoring organization NetBlocks, Iran’s national connectivity collapsed to just 4% of normal traffic levels, indicating an almost complete shutdown of online access across the country.

Government websites, official news platforms, and security communications systems reportedly stopped functioning within hours of the first explosions.

Among the hardest hit was the website of Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA), which went offline for an extended period. Tasnim News Agency, widely identified with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), reportedly suffered severe disruptions and cyber intrusions that displayed anti-regime messages targeting Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.

The digital blackout left segments of Iran’s leadership in what sources described as a communications vacuum — unable to reliably coordinate internally or communicate with external allies.

IRGC Command Systems Targeted

Western intelligence sources indicated that the cyberattack was designed to dismantle the IRGC’s command-and-control networks at a critical moment — specifically to disrupt coordination of retaliatory strikes and degrade the regime’s ability to deploy drones and ballistic missiles.

Military communications nodes, encrypted channels, and electronic warfare systems were reportedly targeted in a synchronized operation timed to coincide with Israeli airstrikes on IRGC command centers.

Beyond official websites, reports from Tehran, Isfahan, and Shiraz described widespread failures of government-linked digital services, payment systems, and local applications. Citizens reported difficulty accessing messaging platforms and state-run portals as the country descended into what observers described as a “digital fog.”

The blackout follows a months-long shadow campaign. In January, Iranian state satellite broadcasts were reportedly hijacked, with content calling for regime change aired to millions of households — an operation Tehran blamed on foreign adversaries.

Strategic Shockwave

The scale and timing of the cyberattack suggest a deliberate effort not only to damage infrastructure but to destabilize internal cohesion at a moment of maximum military pressure.

While Israeli officials have not formally acknowledged responsibility for the cyber component, security analysts say the sophistication and coordination point to a state-level operation of exceptional scale.