The Islamic regime in Tehran has shut down internet and cell phone lines across the country in what Iranian-American journalist Karmel Melamed called a move driven by fear and desperation.
“The regime is panicking,” Melamed told CBN News. “The officials there are scared that individuals are going to be sharing the chaos that’s unfolding there and they want to hold back on any kind of info that might be coming in or going out.”
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Melamed, who remains in close contact with sources inside Iran, said the blackout was not just to stop internal dissent from spreading but to protect against Israel’s high-tech capabilities.
“They’re also terrified of the Israelis using any kind of cell phone technology or the internet to infiltrate their systems and their networks,” he said. “They know how great Israel’s technology and military situation is in using the internet and the phone lines.”
The clampdown comes amid a wave of Israeli military action targeting members of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard, who have long been accused of brutality against Iranian citizens. Melamed described the response from those inside the country as emotionally conflicted.
“The folks in Iran that I’ve been in touch with have a feeling of bittersweet right now,” he said. “On the one hand, they’re very happy that Israel has taken out their enemies, which are the Iranian Revolutionary Guard… But on the flip side, they’re not happy with the fact that their country is being destroyed.”
While Israeli strikes are aimed at the regime’s military infrastructure, the Iranian people are caught in the middle of a war they do not want.
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“They have no beef with Israel. They have no beef with Israelis,” Melamed said. “They know that this war is between the regime that holds them hostage and Israel.”
Despite the blackouts and bombing, Melamed says the people of Iran “love their country,” and want to see it free from the oppressive grip of a regime intent on nuclear escalation and regional war.
James Lasher is staff writer for Charisma Media.
