As fighter jets and cruise missiles targeted Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) command centers and nuclear facilities, the parallel cyber front paralyzed the regime from within.
By Hezy Laing
On February 28, 2026, Israel and its allies launched a record-breaking cyber offensive against the Islamic Republic of Iran, a digital assault that coincided with the kinetic strikes of Operation “Roar of the Lion.”
This massive operation plunged the nation into a state of near-total digital darkness, marking what experts describe as the largest cyberattack in history.
According to data from the global monitoring organization NetBlocks, internet connectivity throughout Iran plummeted to a staggering four percent of its usual traffic, effectively isolating the country from the outside world and creating a pervasive “digital fog” that left the Iranian leadership in a communications blackout both at home and abroad.
As fighter jets and cruise missiles targeted Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) command centers and nuclear facilities, the parallel cyber front paralyzed the regime from within.
The attack successfully dismantled critical infrastructure, government digital services, and security communication systems.
Major urban centers like Tehran, Isfahan, and Shiraz reported total failures of local applications and banking systems.
Even the regime’s “National Information Network,” a state-controlled intranet designed to survive external interference, reportedly collapsed under the weight of the combined offensive, leaving the country completely exposed during a moment of acute military crisis.
The strategic focus of the assault was the decapitation of the IRGC’s command-and-control capabilities.
By disrupting secure communications, the offensive sought to prevent the coordination of counterattacks and neutralize the ability of Iranian electronic units to launch drone swarms or ballistic missiles.
This electronic warfare extended to the regime’s propaganda arms, where official news sites like IRNA were taken offline for extended periods.
The Tasnim News Agency, which is closely affiliated with the IRGC, was hacked to display subversive messages against Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, while popular mobile apps were breached to broadcast calls for the armed forces to defect.
This unprecedented operation represented the culmination of a campaign that began in January, when satellite broadcasts were hijacked to air anti-regime content.
By combining massive denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks with deep intrusions into energy and aviation data systems, the operation effectively silenced the regime’s ability to respond.
Beyond the immediate military objectives, the blackout served to mask the scale of domestic unrest and prevent the dissemination of information as the country faced its most significant existential threat in decades.
