Former Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett said at the JNS International Policy Summit in Jerusalem on June 23 that Israel smuggled tens of thousands of Starlink internet receivers into Iran during his 2021–22 tenure to help anti-government protesters maintain internet access and coordinate action [1, 2, 3]. "I had initiated a process of acquiring and smuggling into Iran tens of thousands of Starlink receptors that would allow continuity of the internet and social networks," Bennett said [1].

The Starlink devices, owned by Elon Musk's SpaceX and not officially licensed to operate in Iran, were intended to enable protesters to coordinate actions and attempt to topple the Iranian government, Bennett said [1, 2]. He criticized the current Israeli government under Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for failing to continue these covert efforts. "Unfortunately, the current incompetent Israeli government stopped doing that," Bennett said. "And when the protest happened, that infrastructure was not there" [1].

Iranian authorities have repeatedly shut down the internet during unrest, including deadly nationwide protests in January 2026 and during the conflict with the US and Israel starting in February 2026 [1, 2]. Iran has accused Israel and the US of smuggling Starlink devices to undermine its security [1, 2].

Bennett described Iran’s government as "a corrupt, outdated, and incompetent regime that will collapse like the Soviet Union" [2]. He plans to run in Israel's scheduled October 2026 election with a platform that includes efforts to undermine the Iranian regime, potentially including economic and industrial sabotage [1, 2].

The smuggling of tens of thousands of Starlink receivers into Iran was initiated by Bennett between 2021 and 2022, aiming to keep the internet running during crackdowns [1, 2]. The lack of such infrastructure during recent protests has limited Iranian protesters’ ability to communicate freely. Bennett’s admission marks the first public confirmation of Israel’s role in supplying satellite internet devices to Iran’s protesters.