Israel created a secret Starlink internet infrastructure inside Iran, former PM claims
Naftali Bennett says Israel smuggled tens of thousands of Starlink receivers into Iran to help anti-government protesters maintain internet access and coordinate during periods of unrest, but claims the effort was later abandoned by the current government.
Israel smuggled Starlink internet receivers into Iran to help anti-government protesters, according to former Israeli prime minister Naftali Bennett.
Bennett, who served as prime minister from 2021 to 2022, told an audience at the JNS International Policy Summit in Jerusalem on Tuesday that he had initiated a "process of acquiring and smuggling into Iran tens of thousands of Starlink receivers that would allow the continuity of internet access and social networks."
Starlink, owned by Elon Musk's SpaceX, provides satellite internet connections. Iran has previously accused Israel and the United States of smuggling the devices into the country to undermine its security. Starlink is not licensed to operate in Iran, although Musk has previously said the service is active there.
Bennett said the devices were intended to enable protesters to coordinate and ultimately help bring down the Iranian government.
"Unfortunately, the current incompetent Israeli government stopped doing that," he said. "And when the protest happened, that infrastructure was not there."
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office did not immediately respond to questions about Bennett's remarks, and SpaceX was unavailable for comment outside U.S. business hours.
Iranian authorities have repeatedly restricted public access to the internet during periods of unrest, including during nationwide protests and throughout the recent conflict involving Iran, Israel, and the United States.
Bennett, one of several opposition politicians seeking to replace Netanyahu in an election due by October, said that if he returned to office he would work to undermine Iran's government with the goal of bringing it down. That effort, he said, could include measures short of direct military action, such as economic and industrial sabotage.
Reuters contributed to this report.
