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Israel-Linked Hackers Claim Cyberattack That Shuts Down 70% of Iran’s Gas Stations
People wait at a gas station during gas station disruption in Tehran, Iran, Dec. 18, 2023. Photo: Majid Asgaripour/WANA (West Asia News Agency) via REUTERS
A hacking group that has been linked to Israel on Monday claimed responsibility for a cyberattack that paralyzed the majority of gas stations across Iran.
More than 70 percent of gas stations in Iran were knocked out due to service disruptions, the country’s Oil Minister Javad Owji confirmed to Iranian state TV.
A group known as “Gonjeshke Darande,” or “predatory sparrow” in Farsi, announced it was behind the attack in a post on X/Twitter.
“We, Gonjeshke Darande, carried out another cyberattack today, taking out a majority of the gas pumps throughout Iran,” the hackers wrote. “This cyberattack comes in response to the aggression of the Islamic Republic and its proxies in the region.”
Pointing the finger at Iran’s so-called “supreme leader,” Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the group added, “Khamenei, playing with fire has a price. A month ago we warned you that we’re back and that we will impose cost for your provocations. This is just a taste of what we have in store.”
(1/2) We, Gonjeshke Darande, carried out another cyberattack today, taking out a majority of the gas pumps throughout Iran. This cyberattack comes in response to the aggression of the Islamic Republic and its proxies in the region.
Khamenei, playing with fire has a price.
— Gonjeshke Darande (@darandegonjeshk) December 18, 2023
The hacker group is suspected to be of Israeli origin and reportedly linked to Israel’s Military Intelligence Directorate, although it is difficult to pinpoint with definite certainty the source of such cyberattacks. It has previously claimed responsibility for targeting the Iranian state-owned Khuzestan Steel Co. to halt production, as well as several Iranian gas stations.
According to Iranian state media, “the reason for the disruption in fuel distribution is a cyber attack by Israel and the USA, after their losses on the other fronts.”
In a second statement published on Telegram, Gonjeshke Darande said Monday’s cyberattack “was conducted in a controlled manner while taking measures to limit potential damage to emergency services.”
“We delivered warnings to emergency services across the country before the operation began, and ensured a portion of the gas stations across the country were left unharmed for the same reason, despite our access and capability to completely disrupt their operation,” the group wrote.
On the same day, meanwhile, Israel’s National Cyber Agency announced that an attempted cyberattack on the Ziv Medical Center in northern Israel last month was carried out by Iranian and Hezbollah hackers. According to the cyber agency, a joint investigation was conducted alongside the Shin Bet security agency and the Israel Defense Forces that confirmed the failed attack on the hospital was perpetrated by the Iranian Intelligence Ministry in coordination with the Iran-backed terror group Hezbollah, which is based in Lebanon.
The statement said that while the hackers’ goal of disrupting hospital activities failed, “the group was found to have stolen some of the sensitive information stored in the hospital’s systems.”
Israel has allegedly carried out several cyber attacks against Iran, which US intelligence agencies frequently call the world’s foremost state sponsor of terrorism. Iran is the main international sponsor of Hamas, the Palestinian terror group that carried out the Oct. 7 massacre across southern Israel, launching the current war in Gaza.
One of the most notable cyberattacks said to involve Israel was the Stuxnet program, an alleged joint project of Jerusalem and Washington, DC that destroyed major parts of the Natanz nuclear facility in Iran. The attack heavily hampered the country’s nuclear program, which many experts and governments say is designed to build nuclear weapons.
The post Israel-Linked Hackers Claim Cyberattack That Shuts Down 70% of Iran’s Gas Stations first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
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Israel Pounds Gaza City Suburbs, Vows to Press on with Offensive
Smoke rises following an Israeli strike, in Gaza City, August 24, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Dawoud Abu Alkas
Israeli planes and tanks pounded the eastern and northern outskirts of Gaza City overnight Saturday to Sunday, destroying buildings and homes, residents said, as Israeli leaders vowed to press on with a planned offensive on the city.
Witnesses reported the sound of explosions non-stop overnight in the areas of Zeitoun and Shejaia, while tanks shelled houses and roads in the nearby Sabra neighborhood and several buildings were blown up in the northern town of Jabalia.
Fire lit the skies from the direction of the explosions, causing panic, prompting some families to stream out of the city. Others said they would prefer to die and not leave.
The Israeli military said on Sunday that its forces have returned to combat in the Jabalia area in recent days, to dismantle militant tunnels and strengthen control of the area.
It added that the operation there “enables the expansion of combat into additional areas and prevents Hamas terrorists from returning to operate in these areas.”
Israel approved a plan this month to seize control of Gaza City, describing it as the last bastion of Hamas. It is not expected to begin for a few weeks, leaving room for mediators Egypt and Qatar to try and resume ceasefire talks.
Israel’s Defense Minister Israel Katz on Sunday vowed to press on with the offensive on the city where famine has been declared, which has raised alarm abroad and objections at home. Katz has said that Gaza City will be razed unless Hamas agrees to end the war on Israel’s terms and release all hostages.
Hamas said in a statement on Sunday that Israel’s plan to take over Gaza City showed it wasn’t serious about a ceasefire.
It said a ceasefire agreement was “the only way to return the hostages,” holding Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu responsible for their lives.
The proposal on the table calls for a 60-day ceasefire and the release of 10 living hostages held in Gaza and of 18 bodies. In turn, Israel would release about 200 long-serving Palestinian prisoners held by Israel.
Once a temporary ceasefire begins, the proposal is for Hamas and Israel to begin negotiations on a permanent ceasefire that would include the return of the remaining hostages.
On Thursday, Netanyahu said that Israel would immediately resume negotiations for the release of all 50 hostages – of whom Israel believes around 20 are still living – and an end to the nearly two-year-old war but on terms acceptable to Israel.
‘HUNGRY AND AFRAID’
Around half of the enclave’s two million people currently live in Gaza City. A few thousand have already left, carrying their belongings on vehicles and rickshaws.
“I stopped counting the times I had to take my wife and three daughters and leave my home in Gaza City,” said Mohammad, 40, via a chat app. “No place is safe, but I can’t take the risk. If they suddenly begin the invasion, they will use heavy fire.”
Others said they will not leave, no matter what.
“We are not leaving, let them bomb us at home,” said Aya, 31, who has a family of eight, adding that they couldn’t afford to buy a tent or pay for the transportation, even if they did try to leave. “We are hungry, afraid and don’t have money.”
A global hunger monitor said on Friday that Gaza City and surrounding areas are officially suffering from famine that will likely spread. Israel has rejected the assessment and says it ignores steps it has taken since late July to increase aid.
The war began on October 7, 2023, when Hamas-led gunmen burst into southern Israel, killing some 1,200 people, mainly civilians, and taking 251 hostages.
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Iran Signals Willingness to Scale Back Uranium Enrichment to Ease Tensions
Atomic symbol and USA and Iranian flags are seen in this illustration taken, September 8, 2022. Photo: REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo
i24 News – Iran may be prepared to significantly reduce its uranium enrichment levels in a bid to stave off renewed UN sanctions and limit the risk of further strikes by Israel and the United States, according to a report published Sunday in The Telegraph.
Citing Iranian sources, the paper said Tehran is considering lowering enrichment from 60% to 20%.
The move is reportedly being championed by Ali Larijani, the newly appointed secretary of the Supreme National Security Council, who is holding talks with regime leaders.
“Larijani is trying to convince the system to reduce the level of enrichment in order to avoid further war,” a senior Iranian official told the paper.
The proposal, however, faces stiff resistance from the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, which has long opposed concessions on the nuclear program. Still, the report suggests Iran’s leadership may be open to greater flexibility, including the possibility of reviving engagement with Western powers.
Last month, i24NEWS reported exclusively that a delegation from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) is expected to travel to Iran. The team of technical experts would seek to resume monitoring of nuclear sites, inspections that have been heavily restricted in recent years.
The development comes amid mounting regional tensions and could represent a critical turning point in the long-running nuclear standoff.
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Major Brush Fire Erupts Near Jerusalem, Evacuations Underway
A view of the new Tel Aviv-Jerusalem fast train seen over the HaArazim Valley (“Valley of Cedars”) just outside of Jerusalem, Sept. 25, 2018. Photo: Yossi Zamir/Flash90.
i24 News – A large brush fire broke out Sunday in the Cedars Valley area, near Route 1 and the Motza interchange, prompting an emergency response from Jerusalem district fire services. Several water-bombing planes were dispatched, and authorities have declared a “fire emergency.”
As a precaution, residents of Mevaseret Zion are being evacuated. Access to the town from Route 1 has already been blocked, and officials are weighing a full closure of the major highway.
Fire crews from the Ha’uma station are on site working to contain the flames, while motorists in the area are urged to heed traffic updates and follow instructions from emergency services.
Eight firefighting aircraft are currently operating above the blaze in support of ground teams. The fire comes amid one of the hottest, driest summers on record, with conditions fueling a series of destructive wildfires across the country.
Officials warn the situation remains critical, as the blaze threatens a vital transportation corridor leading into Jerusalem.