Iran has been under a near-total internet blackout since Wednesday afternoon, despite Iranian authorities claiming to have repelled “extensive” Israeli cyberattacks on the country’s network.

The NetBlocks group, an international internet monitoring group, said its metrics show Iran remains offline, while “authorities have imposed a nationwide internet blackout, citing Israel’s misuse of the internet for its military purposes.”

“The measure continues to hinder residents’ access at a critical time,” he said.

IRNA reported on its social media channels that “the Israeli enemy launched extensive cyberattacks on Iran’s network, most of which were repelled, but it has led to disruptions in service delivery at two of the country’s banks. “

State media outlets have stopped appearing, at least in internet search engines, although several, including IRNA , have been able to continue publishing content on their social media channels.

The internet monitoring organization IODA, affiliated with Georgia Tech, reported on Mastodon that the near-total blackout began at 5:00 p.m. local time (1:30 p.m. GMT), with all networks going down.

The Tehran Times reported that Israeli aircraft bombed “many” buildings belonging to the Defense Ministry and Karaj Payam Airport, one of the capital’s international airports.

The attacks have also hit several locations in the east and north of the capital, with no official information yet on deaths or injuries.

The Israeli military confirmed it is bombing “Iranian regime military targets in Tehran,” and blasts have been reported in several areas, including residential areas.

Iranian authorities maintain the official death toll at 224 since Sunday, although Iranian media reports have reported more deaths, now exceeding 230.