Authorities in Iraq cut off the internet in Baghdad and the southern regions covered by the protest movement after yesterday's clashes in the capital, including near public administration buildings, France reported.

According to the non-governmental association NetBlocks, which operates in the field of cybersecurity, "this new interruption is the most severe telecommunications restriction imposed by the Iraqi government since the start of the demonstrations" on October 1.

Since it was resumed on October 24, the protest movement in the country demanding a "fall of the regime" has been receiving a form of civil disobedience, AFP reports, and recalled the violence that accompanied yesterday's events.

Four were killed on Monday night in the holy city of Karbala in an attempt to burn the Iranian consulate down. This happened because Tehran said that  "Tehran was pulling the strings" of Iraqi ruling. There were also clashes in downtown Baghdad, where police fired their ammunition for the first time since October 24.

Nearly 270 people have been killed since the start of the protests, according to an AFP comparison comparing different figures, as authorities no longer report the death toll.

On October 3, Baghdad had already shut down the internet and restored it only two weeks later. The social networks were still blocked, but this was easily overcome through VPN applications, the agency added.