Cyber Warfare Dimension
The conflict has a cyber front operating in parallel with kinetic operations. Three verified developments: (1) Israeli offensive — Israel launched what the Jerusalem Post describes as the largest cyberattack in history concurrent with military strikes, targeting IRGC communications networks, energy
The conflict has a cyber front operating in parallel with kinetic operations. Three verified developments: (1) Israeli offensive — Israel launched what the Jerusalem Post describes as the largest cyberattack in history concurrent with military strikes, targeting IRGC communications networks, energy infrastructure, and aviation systems. Iran state news agency IRNA was taken offline; Tasnim News Agency was hacked. (2) Iranian internet blackout — By 18:45 UTC Feb 28, Iran’s internet connectivity collapsed to effectively zero (NetBlocks, Cloudflare confirmed). This has direct implications: casualty figures and government statements from inside Iran cannot be independently verified. (3) US infrastructure risk — CISA, FBI, NSA, and DC3 issued active advisories warning that Iranian CyberAv3ngers is likely to significantly increase attacks on US critical infrastructure, including water/wastewater systems (75+ devices previously compromised, 34 in US water sector). Cyber retaliation is the only Iranian capability that does not require Hormuz or regional base access to reach American territory.