Israeli Officials Say Iran Internet Blackout Masks U.S.–Israeli Strike Damage and Blocks Dissent

Israeli intelligence officials told Fox News that Iran’s extended nationwide internet shutdown is severely limiting outside visibility into the impact of U.S. and Israeli strikes and preventing Iranians from organizing renewed protests against the regime. The officials say Tehran is not only blocking normal connectivity but also actively jamming satellite services such as Starlink and has detained hundreds of people suspected of using satellite terminals, creating what one senior Israeli official called a “blackout on truth.” They argue the blackout allows state media to fill the vacuum with propaganda claiming U.S. and Israeli forces are being destroyed, while hiding the true extent of damage to leadership, IRGC and energy infrastructure. The same official claims the U.S. and Israel have killed roughly 25 senior Ministry of Intelligence commanders—most in an initial strike on a leadership meeting—including intelligence minister Esmail Khatib, whom they identify as the official who approved the blackout. Framed against reports that security forces killed more than 30,000 protesters in days during a January 2026 crackdown, Israeli sources say the regime is using the digital blackout precisely because it fears its own people as much as foreign attack.