Key facts
- Former Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett revealed Israel had initiated smuggling Starlink internet receivers into Iran.
- Bennett stated the goal was to enable protesters to coordinate and potentially topple the Iranian government.
- He criticized the current Israeli government for halting the initiative.
- Starlink, owned by Elon Musk's SpaceX, provides satellite internet connections.
- Iran has previously accused Israel and the U.S. of smuggling these devices.
Former Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett revealed that his government had initiated a process to smuggle tens of thousands of Starlink internet receivers into Iran. Speaking at the JNS International Policy Summit in Jerusalem, Bennett stated the intention was to provide internet continuity and social network access for anti-government protesters, enabling them to coordinate and ultimately topple the Iranian government.
Bennett, who served as prime minister from 2021 to 2022, criticized the current Israeli government, led by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, for failing to follow through on these plans. He asserted that the infrastructure was not in place when protests occurred, implying a missed opportunity. Starlink, owned by Elon Musk's SpaceX, provides satellite internet connections and is not officially licensed to operate in Iran, though the service has been reported to be active there.
