Covert Starlink Aid
Former Israeli PM Bennett Reveals Covert Starlink Aid for Iranian Protesters
Anonymous
Key Points
1
Bennett delivered the remarks at the JNS International Policy Summit in Jerusalem.
2
The disclosure is described as a rare public admission by a senior Israeli political figure of a covert operation inside Iran.
3
Bennett suggested he anticipated Iran would impose a communications blackout if challenged, which motivated the effort to secure online connectivity for protesters.
4
The context includes ongoing unrest in Iran and broader regional tensions, including a US-Israel war with Iran that began in late February.
Former Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett has publicly revealed that Israel secretly smuggled tens of thousands of Starlink satellite internet receivers into Iran to help anti-government protesters stay connected during regime-imposed blackouts. Bennett made the admission at the JNS International Policy Summit in Jerusalem, calling it a rare public acknowledgment of a covert Israeli operation inside Iran. Times of Israel reported the remarks as an unusually candid disclosure by a senior Israeli political figure.
Bennett said Israel moved between 30,000 and 50,000 Starlink terminals into Iran, anticipating the regime would cut communications if mass protests erupted. He sharply criticized Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government for failing to maintain that infrastructure when protests did occur. Neither Netanyahu's office nor SpaceX responded to questions about the program, according to Al Jazeera.
Bennett's 'Technological Bridgehead' Inside Iran Explained
Bennett said he ordered the covert smuggling operation during his time as prime minister from 2021 to 2022. The goal was to give Iranian protesters a way to share footage, organize, and communicate with the outside world even if the regime shut down the internet. He described it as providing "the oxygen of communication" to the Iranian people. Times of Israel noted the plan used third-party intermediaries to move hardware across borders.
The operation drew on a lesson from Ukraine, where Starlink terminals proved decisive in keeping civilian and military communications alive. Bennett reportedly saw the technology as a way to weaken the Iranian government without putting a single Israeli soldier on the ground. Starlink is not licensed to operate in Iran. Under Iranian law, possessing one of the terminals is treated as espionage, according to Ozarab Media.
Netanyahu Accused of Letting the Program Wither Away
Bennett's sharpest words were aimed at his successors. He said the Netanyahu government did not fully carry out the plan and failed to keep the covert network running when protests broke out across Iran. The criticism lands during a period of heavy regional tension, including a US-Israel conflict with Iran that began in late February 2026. Bennett's office did not provide specifics on when or how the network broke down.
Israeli critics pushed back hard at Bennett from both sides. Conservative outlets accused him of "burning" a costly intelligence operation for personal political gain. Opponents called the disclosure reckless. Former IDF Intelligence Chief Amos Yadlin warned that going public lets Iran's Revolutionary Guard better calibrate its signal-jamming efforts, according to Seeking Alpha.
Iran Cracks Down as Smuggled Terminals Spread Underground
Iran's government has long accused Israel and the United States of meddling with its communications. After Bennett's remarks, Iranian state media issued formal denunciations of what it called "technological terrorism." Iran's Ministry of Information and Communications Technology reportedly deployed mobile jamming units in cities where Starlink signals were detected. A smuggled Starlink kit on Tehran's black market reportedly costs over $3,000 — nearly six times its retail price, according to Daily Nigerian.
Despite the crackdown, an estimated 150,000 to 200,000 Iranians are believed to access the internet through shared Starlink connections. Bennett claimed that during 2023 and 2024, over 70 percent of protest footage that reached Western audiences traveled through these covert satellite links. Starlink remains unofficially active inside Iran, though the company has not acknowledged any coordination with Israeli intelligence.
Bennett Vows Economic Sabotage If He Returns to Power
Beyond the Starlink operation, Bennett said he would pursue aggressive non-military measures against Iran if he returned to office. He specifically named economic and industrial sabotage as tools he would use to undermine the Iranian government. The remarks fit within what analysts call his "Octopus Doctrine" — targeting Iran's core leadership and economy directly, rather than fighting its proxies like Hamas or Hezbollah on the edges.
The public disclosure marks a turning point in how Israeli leaders talk about covert operations. Experts told Al Jazeera that the era of full deniability appears to be fading, with technology now serving as the main front in the rivalry between Israel and Iran. The central question left unanswered is whether the smuggling pipelines Bennett built are still intact, or whether his public remarks have permanently compromised them.
Sentiment
Mostly NegativeNEGATIVENEUTRALPOSITIVE
Publishers
18
Articles
66
Reach
84
A
AnonymousAuthor
