Amid rising tensions IOF increases use of GPS jamming devices

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Israeli media
11 Aug 2024 06:04
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The Israeli army escalates its use of GPS jamming devices in the Eilat area, along the Jordanian border, and on the northern border with Lebanon, due to fears of precision missile and drone launches by Iran, Hezbollah, and their allies.

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GPS jamming shows people's location at sea and multiple kilometers away from where they are. (Social media)

The use of jamming devices by the Israeli occupation since the start of Operation Al Aqsa Flood has increased in the Eilat area along the Jordanian border and on the northern border between occupied Palestine and Lebanon due to concerns about potential precision missiles and drone launches by Iran, Hezbollah, and other members of the Axis of Resistance, according to Israeli media reports.

A report by the Israeli news website Walla indicated that last week, the Israeli occupation forces intensified their use of GPS jamming devices along the locations mentioned above. This has led to interference with applications like Waze, Google Maps, and Moovit across the region. The increase in jamming activities has been reportedly driven by fears of missile and drone attacks from Hezbollah, Iran, and other groups threatening Israel.

During Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's visit to the United States two weeks ago, the disruption of the GPS system was evident when the FlightRadar24 website, which provides real-time flight data, mistakenly showed the Israeli Prime Minister's plane, the Wing of Zion, as having landed in Beirut.

Last week, amid fears of an Iranian response to the assassination of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh, there were more disruptions to Waze, Google Maps, and Moovit in the region. The locations displayed on these apps did not match the users' actual locations; instead, they were placed in Tehran, Iran, or Lebanon. Since October 7, the Israeli occupation forces have been actively jamming GPS signals with the goal of disrupting the activities of drones and aircraft that rely on GPS navigation systems.

In turn, Walla also revealed that on the morning of October 7, Colonel Y., the commander of the Electronic Warfare Unit and leader of the Spectrum Brigade in the Communications Division, ordered a comprehensive mobilization across three sectors: the north, the West Bank, and Gaza. By that Saturday evening, the unit reported a 130% mobilization of its reservists, including some as old as 80 years. This elite tactical unit, composed of highly skilled combatants, operates in enemy territories to disrupt spectrum activities, ensuring uninterrupted operations for the Israeli military forces in air, sea, and land.

Despite its importance and rapid deployment capabilities, the Electronic Warfare Unit has recently faced significant challenges, particularly after failing to intercept Hezbollah's drones, whether they were on attack or reconnaissance missions.