Jerusalem. Former Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett has claimed that Israel smuggled thousands of Starlink internet receivers into Iran to help anti-government protesters maintain access to the internet and social media during state-imposed shutdowns.
Speaking at the JNS International Policy Summit in Jerusalem on Tuesday, Bennett said he initiated a plan to acquire and secretly deliver tens of thousands of Starlink devices into Iran during his tenure as prime minister between 2021 and 2022.
According to Bennett, the aim was to ensure uninterrupted internet access and enable protesters to organise more effectively against the Iranian government.
However, he accused the current administration of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of abandoning the initiative before it could be fully implemented.
“Unfortunately, the current incompetent Israeli government stopped doing that. And when the protests happened, that infrastructure was not there,” Bennett said.
Starlink, owned by Elon Musk’s SpaceX, provides satellite internet services. Although the service is not officially licensed in Iran, Musk has previously indicated that Starlink is active in the country.
Iran has in the past accused Israel and the United States of smuggling Starlink devices into the country to undermine its security.
Iranian authorities have repeatedly restricted public access to the internet during periods of unrest, including during nationwide protests and throughout the conflict involving Iran, the United States and Israel that began in late February.
Previous reports have shown that some Iranians turned to Starlink services during internet blackouts.
Bennett, who now leads a right-wing opposition party and is among politicians seeking to replace Mr Netanyahu in elections due by October, said Israel and other Middle Eastern countries should work together to counter the Iranian leadership.
Describing Tehran’s rulers as “a rotten, old, disconnected and incompetent regime”, he predicted that the government would eventually collapse, drawing comparisons with the fall of the Soviet Union.
