TEHRAN: Iran on Wednesday announced heavier internet curbs, accusing Israel of misusing the network for military purposes amid ongoing fighting between the long-time foes.
“Temporary restrictions have been imposed on users’ access to the internet,” the communication ministry said in a statement carried by Fars news agency.
It added that the decision was due to “the aggressor’s abuse of the country’s communication network for military purposes”.
Iran had already began restricting the internet after Israel’s surprise attack on Friday.
In this background, reports are circulating on social media that the Israeli agents are using internet services to carry out terror attacks in Iran.
DELETE WHATSAPP
The move comes just a day after IRIB – the state-run TV – appealed to Iranians to delete WhatsApp from their phones. It said that that the app collected users’ personal data and “last known locations and communications,” and shared them with Israel.
However, a WhatsApp spokesperson dismissed the IRIB claims, saying all messages sent on the app were “end-to-end encrypted,” with only the sender and recipient able to access them.
“We’re concerned these false reports will be an excuse for our services to be blocked at a time when people need them the most,” the spokesperson told AFP.
Meanwhile, Iran’s concerns cannot be rejected totally. Previously, it also saw the assassination of Ismail Haniyeh – the Hamas leader – in Tehran.
Israel is notorious for cyberwarfare. The pager attacks last year are an example, which saw Tel Aviv killing dozens and injuring thousands of Hezbollah operatives in Lebanon.
Meanwhile, it didn’t stop there as Israel followed these targeted attacks by wholesale bombing of Hezbollah and killings of its top leadership, including its chief Hasan Nasrallah.
However, the indiscriminate attacks claimed the lives of hundreds of innocent Lebanese civilians, including women and children. The sole was to weaken the so-called Axis of Resistance, comprising various Iran-backed armed groups.
Ultimately, Israel is now targeting Iran directly. Initially, the Iranian nuclear programme was the excuse, but Prime Minister Netanyahu and US President Donald Trump are now talking about regime change.