Israeli Defense Minister Katz to Sign Six-Month Ban on Fiber Optic and SIM-Guided Drones in Israeli Airspace

Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz announced that he will sign a "special security order" banning the use of fiber optic cable-guided and cellular-guided drones in Israeli airspace. His office said the order will be signed on Sunday and will be valid for six months. The office described it as a temporary measure "intended to provide a security response until additional solutions are found."

The order applies only to drones guided by fiber optic cable or carrying SIM cards and using commercial mobile networks rather than standard radio frequencies. The proposed wording exempts activities carried out by or on behalf of security agencies, as well as fiber-optic and SIM-controlled drones that received approval from Israel's Civil Aviation Authority before the order takes effect. The order also establishes an exemptions committee to consider requests for exemptions.

Katz's office said the decision was made against the backdrop of concrete intelligence and growing threats from Israel's enemies inside and outside the country, including drone attacks, attempts to harm senior officials, drone use by criminals and crime families, intelligence gathering and smuggling. The statement said a response is required both in security zones and along the borders, as well as to drone terrorism inside Israel.

Katz said the flight ban is one step in a series of measures to contend with the drone threat, which also include import restrictions and other regulatory measures. The move was approved by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Katz at a recent security cabinet meeting, following discussions and staff work led by the National Security Council in cooperation with security agencies, the statement said.