Israel Prepares with Starlink Amidst Rising Hezbollah Tensions

Israel is considering using Elon Musk's Starlink satellites to maintain internet connectivity in case of a full-scale war with Hezbollah. Finance and communications ministries aim to leverage Starlink's 5,000 low-orbit satellites for stable state communication during power outages. Communication Minister had already approved Starlink operations for Israel and Gaza in February.

Israel is looking to use Elon Musk's Starlink to maintain Internet connectivity should there be a potential all-out-war with Lebanese Hezbollah on the northern border that causes power outages in Israel, a newspaper report said on Tuesday. The Calcalist financial daily said that the finance and communications ministries were seeking to utilise Starlink's 5,000 low-orbit satellites to ensure stable data and information flow for state authorities during emergencies.

Both ministries did not immediately comment to Reuters. In February, Communications Minister Shlomo Karhi gave permission to Starlink, the satellite unit of SpaceX, to operate in Israel and the Gaza Strip.

Iran-backed Hezbollah began attacking Israel shortly after Hamas' Oct. 7 assault sparked the war in Gaza, and the sides have been trading blows in the months since then. Hezbollah has said it will not stop until there is a ceasefire in Gaza. Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant headed to Washington on Sunday to discuss the next phase of the Gaza war and escalating hostilities on the border with Lebanon, where exchanges of fire with Hezbollah have stoked fears of wider conflict. A full war in the north could lead to missile attacks on Israel's power grid and other infrastructure.