On the morning of February 28, millions of users of the BadeSaba Calendar application (app) in Iran simultaneously received unusual notifications. This application was originally used to track prayer hours by geographical location and has been downloaded more than 5 million times on Google Play alone.
According to screenshots circulating on social networks before Iran was restricted from the Internet, 3 Persian messages appeared within 30 minutes.
At 9:52 am, the first announcement appeared: "Aid has arrived".
10 minutes later, another message called on the armed forces to "drop their weapons or join the liberation forces", and promised amnesty for those who turned their backs on the government.
At 10:14 am, the third message emphasized: "Only by this way can you save your lives. For a free Iran".
These contents are believed to be directed at the Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), the Basij militia and security units loyal to the government.
The incident occurred just before the US and Israeli airstrikes targeted many military targets in Tehran and IRGC facilities took place. US President Donald Trump declared the attacks were the beginning of a "large-scale military campaign" to eliminate threats from Iran.
Commenting on US television, British author and political analyst Douglas Murray said that this is the tactic Israel used in Gaza and Lebanon: Exploiting civilian platforms to send psychological warfare messages, in order to shake the opponent's ranks.
Cybersecurity expert Jake Williams - Vice President of Research and Development at Hunter Strategy - said that the cyberattack was an Israeli campaign. He believes that the US often avoids activities that are easily blamed publicly, while Israel pays little attention to this factor.
Observers believe that targeting the prayer application during Ramadan has a strong symbolic meaning. Millions of Iranians open the application in the morning to prepare for prayer and instead of reminders of the hour, they receive calls to rise up.
The incident took place in the context of Iran facing prolonged economic instability and protests against the government recently. Human rights organizations have accused security forces of cracking down on protesters.
After the airstrikes, Iran responded by launching missiles at Israel and US military bases in Bahrain, UAE and Qatar, pushing the region into a dangerous spiral of escalation. Retaliation airstrikes continued on March 1.
