Secret Mission Exposed: Israel Smuggled Starlink Terminals Into Iran

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Secret Mission Exposed: Israel Smuggled Starlink Terminals Into Iran

A former Israeli PM says tens of thousands of satellite internet units were meant to keep protesters online, but the operation stalled before it could matter.

Naftali Bennett, Israel’s prime minister from 2021 to 2022, says his government quietly moved to smuggle Starlink receivers into Iran. The goal was simple: keep anti-government protesters connected when Tehran tries to cut them off.

Key details

Speaking at the JNS International Policy Summit in Jerusalem on Tuesday, Bennett said he set up a process to bring in tens of thousands of Starlink units. SpaceX’s satellite service isn’t licensed in Iran, though Elon Musk has said it’s active there anyway. Bennett claims the current Netanyahu government shelved the effort. By the time protests broke out, he said, the infrastructure simply wasn’t in place.

Iran has cut internet access during unrest before, including the January protests and the more recent conflict with the US and Israel that started in late February. Reuters has reported that some Iranians leaned on Starlink to get online during past blackouts.

Why it matters

This story sits right at the intersection of Iran policy, satellite tech, and regional politics – all things that can move oil and risk sentiment fast if tensions escalate. Bennett, now positioning himself as a Netanyahu rival ahead of elections expected by October, says he’d push harder against Tehran if he returns to power, including economic and industrial pressure short of military strikes.

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Source: Reuters

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