Israel to bar fiber-optic and SIM-controlled drones from its airspace for six months, with Katz set to sign order amid threats to senior officials

Israel’s Defense Minister Israel Katz is expected to sign a six-month order on Sunday, October 18, banning civilian drones controlled by fiber-optic cables or cellular networks using SIM cards. The Security Cabinet has approved the measure, which applies across Israel’s airspace.

The restrictions target two types of drones: fiber-optic-guided models, which are resistant to electronic jamming, and those controlled over commercial mobile networks. Other drone types are not covered. Security-force operations and activities with Civil Aviation Authority approval are exempt; the order also provides for a committee to consider exemption requests.

Officials cite threats including drone attacks and attempts to harm senior figures, including potential use of the technology from the West Bank. The temporary ban is intended to reduce the background of civilian drone activity—the “noise”—so hostile drones are easier to detect while longer-term countermeasures, including lasers, AI targeting and kinetic interceptors, are developed. Israel is also pursuing import restrictions and other regulatory measures.

Fiber-optic-guided first-person-view drones use a cable rather than a radio link, making electronic jamming ineffective. Hezbollah has used the technology, which has also been refined and widely deployed in the Russia-Ukraine war.