Iran faces ‘near-total’ internet blackout: Monitor
NetBlocks has confirmed the internet outage in a post on X, saying it comes after an earlier series of partial disruptions amid the conflict with Israel.
⚠️ Confirmed: Live network data show #Iran is now in the midst of a near-total national internet blackout; the incident follows a series of earlier partial disruptions and comes amid escalating military tensions with Israel after days of back-and-forth missile strikes 📉 pic.twitter.com/Iu598aIMRJ
— NetBlocks (@netblocks) June 18, 2025
‘Israelis united in wanting Trump to join war against Iran’
Israeli journalist Gideon Levy says there is a broad consensus in Israel in favour of the US getting more involved in the conflict with Iran.
“I think if you make a poll, you would realise that over 90 percent would like the Americans to get in,” he said. “Because after years in which we were told – rightly or wrongly – that the Iranians are very close to a nuclear bomb, who will be against preventing them from getting it?”
Levy also noted that it is widely accepted that Israel will not be able to destroy Iran’s Fordow nuclear site, which is buried deep underground, without the help of American bombs.
“Without Fordow, there is no real achievement in this war,” Levy told Al Jazeera. “The key is in the hands of Donald Trump, someone who says one thing in the morning and one thing in the evening and in both cases, you don’t understand really what he means.”
At the same time, Levy said most Israelis are ignoring the price the war has taken so far – or could take as it intensifies.
“We never went through such a war, in which streets are destroyed in Tel Aviv and elsewhere. People are rushing to the shelters three times a night, the economy is totally paralysed, the airports are closed. My guess is that Israel cannot take it for very long. But for the time being, people are ready to pay this price.”
A drone photo shows the damage over residential homes after an Iranian missile attack in Tel Aviv, Israel, June 16
Third US aircraft carrier set to deploy close to Israel
The USS Ford Carrier Strike Group is expected to be deployed to Europe next week, near the Middle East, putting a third aircraft carrier in close proximity to the conflict between Israel and Iran, a US official and two other people familiar with the matter said.
The Ford’s scheduled deployment to the European Command theater has been in the books since late last year. But it will likely move into the eastern Mediterranean Sea, near Israel, given the ongoing conflict with Iran. At the same time, another aircraft carrier is en route to the Middle East, where it will either join or replace the USS Carl Vinson, CNN has reported.
The US military uses aircraft carriers to project power anywhere in the world, and they are among the first to deploy in times of crises. They can carry dozens of jets capable of carrying out strikes and can intercept missiles and drones, and they are accompanied by warships that can defend against air, surface, and submarine threats.
