The Israeli army has disrupted GPS signals in several cities, including the greater Tel Aviv region and Jerusalem, with the aim of preventing missile or drone attacks potentially fired by Iran or Iranian-backed groups in the region.
The interference caused major disruptions in daily life, causing frustration among the population. Residents using mapping apps like Google Maps or Waze to get around Tel Aviv said their apps showed they were in the Lebanese capital, Beirut, or Cairo, Egypt.
Many people took to social media to post screenshots of the lockdown, which halted online payments, deliveries and app-based cars.
Israel Defense Forces spokesman Daniel Hagari said last week that Israel initiated GPS jamming “in order to neutralize threats,” adding that “we are aware that these disruptions cause an inconvenience, but it is a a vital and necessary tool in our defensive capabilities.”
The interference reached its peak last week, but has persisted sporadically this week. Israel has been on high alert since its attack in Damascus last week that killed top Iranian commanders, prompting a promise of retaliation from Iran.
Sina Toossi, an Iran expert and senior fellow at the Center for International Policy in Washington, D.C., warned that some Iranian drones are not easily susceptible to interference. “Israel’s extensive GPS interference appears to reflect a lack of confidence in the effectiveness of its drone and missile defense systems,” he wrote in X.
Source: CNN Brasil
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