US Asked Musk to Block Hezbollah, Houthis from Starlink, Aid Iran Access
Translated & summarized from Ynet by baba
U.S. administrations have repeatedly asked Elon Musk's SpaceX to manage Starlink service in conflict zones. The Biden administration requested the disconnection of terminals used by Hezbollah and the Houthis. Both Trump and Biden administrations sought to expand Starlink access in Iran and Ukraine.
The story in 4 lines · by baba
- US administrations asked Elon Musk's SpaceX to manage Starlink in global conflict zones.
- Biden administration sought to disconnect Starlink terminals used by Hezbollah and Houthis.
- US administrations also worked to expand Starlink access in Iran and Ukraine.
- At least some terminals used by Iran-backed groups were disconnected, officials said.
Multiple U.S. administrations have approached Elon Musk and his company SpaceX with requests to activate or deactivate the Starlink satellite internet service in global conflict zones, according to former senior U.S. officials cited by Reuters. The Biden administration specifically asked SpaceX to locate and disconnect Starlink terminals that had reached Hezbollah in Lebanon and the Houthis in Yemen, due to concerns they could be used for operational communications. Concurrently, both the Trump and Biden administrations worked to expand Starlink access in Iran, aiming to help regime opponents bypass internet censorship, and in Ukraine to support its military in the war against Russia. According to two former officials, at least some terminals used by Iran-backed groups were indeed disconnected following these requests.
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