Iran International, a news outlet affiliated with the Iranian opposition, reported Wednesday that Iran's state television was briefly hacked. The broadcast was interrupted with anti-regime content, including the emblem of Israel's "Operation Rising Lion" and footage of the explosion at a media station in Tehran linked to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.
Iran's national broadcasting authority confirmed the disruption, which it blamed on Israel.
"If you see unrelated images, it is due to satellite signal interference by the Zionist enemy," read the official statement.
The Israeli government has not formally declared regime change in Iran as an official war objective. However, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Defense Minister Israel Katz, and other senior officials have indicated that the fall of the ayatollah regime would be a welcome outcome of the conflict.
On Monday, the Israel Air Force targeted Iranian state TV after issuing an unprecedented evacuation notice to the regime in Tehran.
"Dear citizens, for your safety, we ask you to immediately leave the mentioned area in District 3 of Tehran," the Israeli military's Persian-language spokesman, Master Sgt. Kamal Pinhasi warned.
However, the ayatollah regime ignored warnings from Israel Defense Forces, and the IRGC-linked television station was bombed while it was livestreaming.
In recent days, Israel-affiliated hackers have launched cyberattacks on key Iranian infrastructure to destabilize the regime.
On Wednesday, the pro-Israeli hacker group "Predatory Sparrow" announced that it had launched a cyberattack on the cryptocurrency exchange "Nobitex." According to the hackers, Nobitex is being used by the Iranian regime to finance global terrorism and circumvent international sanctions imposed on Iran.
On Tuesday, the hacker group targeted Sepah Bank, an IRGC-linked Iranian bank. The cyberattack left bank customers across Iran unable to withdraw money from Sepah Bank ATMs. The hacker group claimed that Sepah Bank was being used as a front to bypass international sanctions and to fund the ayatollah regime's key nuclear and missile programs.
"This is the fate of any institution that serves the dictator's terrorist fantasies," Predatory Sparrow said in an official statement, thanking unnamed "partners" who reportedly assisted them with the cyberattack.
Meanwhile, the head of IDF Intelligence Directorate, Maj. Gen. Shlomi Binder, signaled that the regime would face more cyberattacks in the near future.
During a visit to the IDF's intelligence units, Binder praised "the intelligence that cleared the way to Tehran and enabled the strike on the Iranian general staff."
"You'll soon break new ground in other arenas as well," he continued.
While currently focused on the war with Iran, Binder stressed that Israel still seeks to secure the release of the remaining Israeli hostages held by Hamas terrorists in Gaza.
"You've proven you can cross borders and reach any target. Always remember — we are not fighting on just one front. We're fighting Iran, but we're also keeping our eyes on the hostages in Gaza and the threats to our troops and civilians."
The Iranian regime has ruled with an iron fist since the 1979 Islamic Revolution, and most observers believe a large majority of Iranians oppose it. In a recent exclusive interview with Iran International, Netanyahu estimated that up to 80% of Iranians may be against the regime.
"These dictators in Iran, sure they fear us — but they fear you, the people of Iran, even more," Netanyahu stated. "They understand that 80% of Iranians despise them."
Republished with permission from All Israel News.