Pakistan, June 24 -- Former Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett has said Israel smuggled Starlink internet receivers into Iran to support anti-government protesters. He said the devices were intended to help demonstrators coordinate and ultimately challenge the Iranian government. The remarks add a new dimension to long-standing tensions between Israel and Iran.

Bennett made the comments during a policy summit in Jerusalem, where he described efforts initiated during his time in office. He said the plan involved acquiring and smuggling tens of thousands of Starlink devices into Iran. According to him, the goal was to maintain internet access during protests and unrest.

He added that the initiative was not fully continued under the cu...