Israel considers sweeping ban on private drones amid fears of assassination attempts on senior officials

Israel’s government is considering imposing a total ban on the use of private drone aircraft for half a year amid concerns Iran could use drones to target senior Israeli officials.

By World Israel News Staff

Israel’s security cabinet is considering a nationwide six-month suspension of privately operated drone flights as security agencies warn that readily available aircraft could be adapted for assassinations, attacks on public gatherings and strikes against sensitive sites.

The proposal was recommended by security officials led by the Shin Bet domestic security agency, according to an Israel Hayom report. It would prohibit private drone operations throughout Israeli airspace while the government develops a more tightly controlled regulatory system.

The restrictions have not yet been formally approved, and the government has not publicly released a detailed version of the proposal. It remains unclear whether commercial operators, emergency services, infrastructure companies or other licensed users would receive exemptions.

Under the reported plan, the temporary ban would remain in force for six months. Unauthorized operators would initially face fines, while continued violations would later be treated as criminal offenses.

Private drone flights would eventually resume under new rules intended to give authorities greater ability to identify aircraft, monitor operators and prevent unauthorized flights.

Security officials reportedly described the rapidly developing technology as “a threat humanity has yet to comprehend,” pointing to the low cost, widespread availability and growing payload and navigation capabilities of civilian drones.

The primary concern is not ordinary recreational photography but the ease with which commercially available aircraft can be modified to carry explosives, conduct surveillance or approach targets without placing an attacker nearby.

Israeli officials are particularly worried about attempts to target senior political and security figures. Iran and groups aligned with Tehran have repeatedly threatened Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, his family and other Israeli and American officials following the killing of former Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.

Recent propaganda displayed in Tehran has included images of Trump and other figures in coffins. One large billboard erected in the Iranian capital showed the American president inside a coffin beneath the English-language message “We Kill Trump.”

Israeli security officials reportedly view the threats as more than rhetoric, citing Iran’s history of pursuing enemies abroad long after issuing threats against them.

The proposal also follows the disruption of an alleged American plot involving explosive-laden civilian drones at a major mixed martial arts event held on the White House grounds in June.

US prosecutors have charged eight men in connection with the alleged plan to attack the UFC Freedom 250 event, which was attended by President Donald Trump, members of Congress and other senior officials.

According to court documents, the suspects allegedly discussed detonating drones carrying explosives on one side of the White House arena to create panic and force attendees toward waiting gunmen.

“The conspirators allegedly planned to deploy drones armed with explosives in and around the UFC Freedom 250 event in order to force an evacuation of the event,” the US Justice Department said when announcing the initial charges.

Prosecutors said members of the group then intended to use rifles to fire at designated “high value targets” as they fled the explosions. The accusations remain allegations, and the defendants are presumed innocent unless convicted.

The American case reinforced concerns that inexpensive drones could allow relatively small groups to attack heavily protected events from outside conventional security perimeters.

Netanyahu has warned for years that small drones could become assassination weapons. Speaking at a cabinet meeting in May, he said he had first raised the issue six years earlier.

“At the time, I first saw it as a serious threat as a tool for assassinating individuals, but since then, of course, it has evolved,” Netanyahu said.

The proposed restriction comes as Israel is also struggling to counter military drones launched by Iran and Hezbollah. Hezbollah’s increasing use of small first-person-view and fiber-optic-guided aircraft has exposed gaps in conventional air-defense systems designed primarily to intercept larger missiles and drones.

Netanyahu has described the development of improved counter-drone technology as a national priority.

“We will solve this problem,” he said in June. “We will restore security and prosperity to the north.”

Israel has previously suspended civilian drone activity during periods of war. In October 2023, the Civil Aviation Authority and Transportation Ministry prohibited civilian drones and private flights because of the risk that Israeli aircraft could be mistaken for hostile vehicles.

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