A civilian drone that entered the airspace around Ben Gurion Airport on Wednesday morning caused major disruptions to air traffic, forcing authorities to suspend both takeoffs and landings during one of the airport’s busiest periods.

In response, the Director General of the Transportation Ministry ordered a special review to determine how the drone was able to breach the airport’s restricted airspace and disrupt operations at one of Israel’s most sensitive strategic sites.

The incident comes as Israel continues to debate whether to impose a nationwide ban on civilian drone flights. The proposal has recently been discussed by the Security Cabinet, where defense officials argued that it should be considered as part of Israel’s preparations for the possibility of a broader confrontation with Iran.

No decision has yet been reached, but the proposal has already drawn strong criticism from industry representatives.

“Banning drone flights throughout Israel would amount to passing a law that simply cannot be enforced,” Pini Yungman, president of TSG, a company specializing in air command-and-control systems, told Channel 12.

“There are millions of drones in Israel, the overwhelming majority operated by children. It would be extremely difficult to prevent them from flying, monitor their use, or enforce such a ban.”

(YWN Israel Desk—Jerusalem)