Israel reportedly could use Elon Musk’s Starlink satellites for internet back-up during all-out war with Hezbollah

Israeli government ministries prepare for power shortages in the event of full-blown war

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Israeli government ministries are examining the possibility of using the satellites of Elon Musk’s Starlink company as backup for critical operations rooms during a potential broader war with the Lebanese terror group Hezbollah, the Israeli financial newspaper Calcalist reported.

Both the Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Communications have been looking into using the Starlink satellites to maintain the functioning of its critical operation rooms during such a war, against the background of potential prolonged power outages.

Last week, the CEO of the company responsible for managing Israel’s electric grid warned that he might not be able to guarantee electricity supply during a war with Hezbollah.

The Lebanese terror group is estimated to possess up to 150,000 projectiles, including guided missiles and precision drones that can evade or overwhelm air defenses.

A video recently released by the group explicitly threatened Hezbollah would attack critical infrastructure in the Haifa area during an all-out war.

“The ambition is that every operation room in a government office will have the backing of Starlink to ensure functional continuity in an emergency,” an informed source told Calcalist.

Starlink enables connectivity to the internet through about 5,000 small satellites that move in a low orbit through space and enable connection to the internet almost anywhere on the globe.

The company received an Israeli license this February and also began providing services to humanitarian organizations working in the Gaza Strip.

The company founder, Elon Musk, has vocally supported Israel since the Oct. 7 Hamas invasion and attack. He also visited the country in November, where he met with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and visited sites that were devastated.

According to the report, the use of Starlink is only one of numerous measures being readied or already implemented by government ministries to prepare the country for a real emergency situation.

According to estimates, Hezbollah attacks could cause blackouts across the country, with an emphasis on the northern areas close to the Lebanese border, which would also collapse the cellular network.

The Communications Ministry has reportedly allocated around NIS 40 million to the cellular companies to improve the redundancy of their northern stations from two to three hours to approximately 12 hours, allowing for quick repairs without collapsing the network.

The Israeli Economy Ministry has prepared around 80,000 food packages for immediate distribution to citizens who could be forced into shelters like underground parking lots or municipal shelters during massive waves of missile and rocket launches from Lebanon.

In addition, the ministry compiled a list of hundreds of “iron branches” of supermarket chains that have large protected spaces and where generators will be installed to ensure electricity supply.

These supermarkets must also have adequate stocks of basic products that will be sold in the event of an emergency.

So far, about 400 gas stations across Israel have received training and instructions to be able to continue operating without electricity with the use of generators. However, priority will be given to supplying fuel to vehicles of police, rescue forces, firefighters and the IDF Home Front Command.