chaos with GPS, credit cards and supermarkets –

Tension between Iran and Israel has reached a new critical phase after the attack on the Iranian embassy in Damascus on April 2nd. While the threats coming from Tehran become increasingly aggressive, in the Jewish state there is a growing fear of an imminent conflict, giving rise to a climate of collective hysteria, also aggravated by the ongoing conflict with Hamas in Gaza. Moments of panic, explains Il Giornale, were also felt on the streets, with reports of problems and malfunctions in navigation apps such as Google Maps and Waze. According to reports from the Israeli newspaper Times of Israel, several motorists in Tel Aviv encountered an anomaly on the map, which mistakenly placed them in Beirut, Lebanon.

This phenomenon was caused by the activation of jammers, devices used by the Israeli state to disturb the communication waves of geolocators, in an attempt to protect itself from any imminent attacks. Consequently, there have also been connection problems and malfunctions in the services offered by mobile phones, including Google Maps and payment systems, generating widespread chaos and inconvenience among the population. Despite the reassurances provided by the Israel Defense Forces, which underlined that nothing new is happening and that the population will be informed in the event of an emergency, the climate of fear and uncertainty persists. Recent threats from Tehran further fuel anxiety and terror, as the effectiveness of Israel’s Iron Dome defense system is put to the test after being overwhelmed by Hamas rockets last October. Despite the authorities’ efforts to maintain calm and normality, the country has inevitably been thrown into chaos, with long queues at ATMs and supermarkets, fueled by the fear and uncertainty that permeate the population.