A Senior Official Publicly Admits: Secretly Smuggled Tens of Thousands of SpaceX Starlink Devices to Iran, Aiming to Overthrow the Regime

BlockBeats News, June 24th - Israeli opposition leader and former Prime Minister Naftali Bennett publicly admitted on June 23rd that during his 2021-2022 term in office, he purchased tens of thousands of SpaceX Starlink satellite receivers and covertly smuggled them into Iran to support anti-government protesters attempting to overthrow the Iranian regime. Bennett stated that the current Netanyahu government had failed to continue the plan.

This statement marks the first public confirmation by an Israeli official of these actions. Previously, Iran had repeatedly accused Israel and the United States of smuggling satellite equipment into its territory to undermine national security. Starlink did not receive operating permits in Iran, but Musk had previously stated that the service was available in Iran.

The report also revealed a broader picture of Israel's intelligence operations in Iran. Mossad has long used technical means to infiltrate Iran, monitoring and traffic cameras, and combining AI technology with satellite images to build an intelligence mosaic. In the April 2026 explosion of Hezbollah pagers, Mossad had implanted micro-explosives in thousands of devices in advance, resulting in casualties among several mid-level commanders. In the same month, a large number of U.S.-made core communication devices in Iran were collectively paralyzed, forcing the authorities to frequently implement international network isolation.

On the political front, Israel's next general election is scheduled to take place no later than October of this year. Netanyahu's approval rating has dropped from 40.5% in early March to 29.4%. Bennett stated that if he returns to power, he will seek to overthrow the Iranian regime through economic and industrial sabotage.