Katz announces ban on fiber optic drones in Israeli airspace amid lingering threat

Defense Minister Israel Katz on Tuesday said he will sign a temporary order banning the use of fiber-optic cable-guided and cellular-guided drones in Israeli airspace, saying they posed a broad security threat.

The “special security order” will be signed on Sunday, and it will be valid for six months, Katz’s office said, adding that it is a temporary measure “intended to provide a security response until additional solutions are found.”

The order will only apply to drones that are guided by fiber-optic cable or carry SIM cards and utilize commercial mobile networks, rather than standard radio frequencies.

The proposed wording of the decree carves out specific exemptions for activities carried out by or on behalf of security agencies, as well as for fiber-optic and SIM-controlled drones that received approvals from Israel’s Civil Aviation Authority before the order is slated to take effect.

The order also establishes “an exemptions committee to consider requests for exemptions from the order,” according to Katz.

Katz’s office said the decision was made “against the backdrop of concrete intelligence and growing threats from Israel’s enemies, both inside and outside the country, including drone attacks, attempts to harm senior officials, the use of drones by criminals and crime families, intelligence gathering, and smuggling.”

“Given the severity and variety of the threats, a response is required both in security zones and along the borders, as well as to drone terrorism inside Israel,” the statement said.

Katz said the flight ban is just one step in a series of measures intended 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 in a recent security cabinet meeting, following discussions and staff work led by the National Security Council in cooperation with security agencies, the statement said.

Fiber-optic drones, which are guided via a cable and therefore immune to electronic jamming, have posed a major challenge for the Israel Defense Forces during its operations in Lebanon, killing Israeli soldiers.

In August, Channel 12 reported that the defense establishment had identified a significant increase in attempts by terror groups to launch explosive drones – including fiber-optic drones – within Israel at targets across the country, with officials said to warn that there was no effective operational solution to the emerging threat.