Former PM Admits Israel Smuggled Starlinks to Iran During January Riots

Tuesday, 23 June 2026 6:28 PM

Former Israeli Prime Minister, Naftali Bennett. (File photo)

Former Israeli prime minister Naftali Bennett has admitted that Israel secretly smuggled Starlink satellite internet receivers into Iran to help organize riot groups and undermine the Islamic government.

Speaking at the JNS International Policy Conference in occupied al-Quds on Tuesday, Bennett revealed that the Israeli regime had initiated a plan to supply and smuggle tens of thousands of Starlink receivers into Iran.

Although Starlink, owned by Elon Musk’s SpaceX, has no official license to operate in Iran, Musk has previously confirmed that the service is active in the country.

Bennett said the devices were intended to allow “rioters to coordinate with each other and ultimately bring down the Iranian government.”

He added: “Unfortunately, the current ineffective Israeli cabinet stopped this plan, and when the riots took place, that infrastructure was not in place.”

The Starlink network was activated in Iran during the period between the 12-day US-Israeli aggression in June 2025 and the subsequent US-Israeli aggression in January 2026.

In February, the Wall Street Journal reported that the US government had secretly transferred thousands of Starlink terminals into Iran.

Later, Reuters reported that during the second US-Israeli aggression against Iran, US armed forces used Starlink internet infrastructure to direct drones in attacks on Iranian territory, resulting in the killing of civilians.

Iran has previously pointed to the role of Israel and the US in smuggling such equipment into the country with the aim of weakening its internal security.

Bennett, who leads a right-wing party and is among opposition figures challenging Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu in upcoming elections, said he would continue efforts to weaken the Iranian government if he returns to power.

He stated that such measures could include non-military actions such as economic and industrial sabotage, with the explicit goal of overthrowing the Iranian government.

What I witnessed in Tehran was rioters torching banks, smashing ATMs, burning buses, blocking roads, and filming destruction – which was ultimately rejected by the people through a massive national rally.

The January unrest in Iran began as peaceful protests by shopkeepers in commercial districts over the depreciation of the Iranian rial against the US dollar.

The protests were later escalated into violent disturbances by militant groups linked to Israel and the United States.

Armed individuals involved in the unrest killed civilians and security personnel and damaged public and private property. In response, the government deployed security forces to restore order and arrest the ringleaders.