Bennett says Israel tried to smuggle Starlink receivers into Iran to aid protesters
Former Israeli prime minister Naftali Bennett has said Israel began a covert effort to smuggle tens of thousands of Starlink receivers into Iran to help anti-government protesters keep internet access. He made the remarks at the JNS International Policy Summit in Jerusalem on Tuesday, according to the supplied report. The claim points to a previously unreported attempt to support connectivity inside Iran during periods of unrest.
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Bennett said he had initiated a process of acquiring and smuggling into Iran "tens of thousands of Starlink receptors" so that internet and social networks could continue to function. He said the devices were intended to help protesters coordinate and, in his words, eventually topple the Iranian government. He also said the effort was later stopped by the current Israeli government, leaving the infrastructure unavailable when protests took place.
The report says Iran had previously accused the United States and Israel of smuggling Starlink devices into the country to undermine Tehran's security. Iran has not granted Starlink a licence to operate there, although Elon Musk has previously said the service remains active in Tehran. The account also comes against a backdrop of repeated internet restrictions in Iran, including major shutdowns during deadly nationwide protests in January and during the US-Israel attack on the country that began on February 28.
The remarks matter because access to communications has become a strategic issue in Iran's internal unrest. Satellite internet can help people bypass domestic restrictions when authorities cut off connectivity, which can affect protest organisation, information sharing and outside scrutiny. The claim also highlights the overlap between technology, sanctions-era workarounds and covert state activity in a long-running confrontation between Iran and Israel.
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The supplied report says internet access in Iran began to be restored in May, after being cut off in February because of strikes. Iran's vice president, Mohammad Reza Aref, said at the time that the first step toward free and regulated access to cyberspace had been taken. That context suggests the issue is not only about one alleged smuggling effort, but also about the broader contest over who controls access to information inside the country.
It remains unclear from the available material whether any Starlink receivers actually reached users inside Iran, how far the alleged operation progressed, or when it was halted. The report does not provide independent confirmation of Bennett's claim beyond his remarks at the summit. What to watch next is whether Iranian officials respond publicly, and whether further details emerge about the scale, timing or intended recipients of the alleged operation.
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