Overview
- Naftali Bennett publicly disclosed on June 23 that, while he was prime minister, he launched a plan to acquire and smuggle tens of thousands of Starlink satellite receivers into Iran to preserve internet access for dissidents.
- Bennett said the devices were intended to let protesters coordinate and exert pressure on Iran’s government with the aim of toppling it.
- He told the policy summit that the subsequent Netanyahu government halted the effort, leaving the planned communications infrastructure unavailable when later unrest occurred.
- Starlink is not licensed to operate in Iran, though Elon Musk and prior reporting say some Iranians used the service during government internet blackouts, and SpaceX did not provide an immediate comment.
- The claim revives Tehran’s past accusations of foreign interference, raises legal and security questions about covert operations and satellite use, and injects a fresh political issue into Bennett’s challenge to Netanyahu ahead of expected elections.