Photo copyright: Reuters
Photo caption,
In Israel, spoofing works – substituting a geolocation signal. This is a common method of disrupting navigation systems.
April 4, 2024
Amid rising tensions with Iran, large parts of Israel are blocking GPS to disrupt the satellite navigation of missiles and drones.
Iran has vowed to respond to Monday’s attack on its consulate in Syria. Then 13 people were killed, including the influential General of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, Mohammad Reza Zahedi. Israel is believed to have carried out the strike; The country’s authorities did not officially comment on this.
The Israel Defense Forces has suspended furloughs for all military personnel in combat units and units.
The day before, reservists from air defense units were called up in the country.
Israeli authorities believe it is likely that Iran will attack the country as early as Friday. It is Al-Quds Day (the Arabic name for Jerusalem) and the last Friday of the holy month of Ramadan. Pro-Palestinian and anti-Israel protests are often held on this day, especially in Iran.
On Thursday, GPS jamming began in central Israel. This was also felt by residents of large cities, including Tel Aviv and Jerusalem, located far from the combat zone in the Gaza Strip. Applications that depend on geolocation crashed.
So, a BBC producer who was in Jerusalem had a phone number that showed she was in Cairo.
IDF spokesman Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari confirmed that spoofing, that is, substitution of the GPS signal, is operating in the country. This technology has been observed in action more than once, for example, around the Moscow Kremlin.
In Israel, spoofing has been in constant operation over the past six months on the northern border with Lebanon, where firefights with the pro-Iranian Shiite paramilitary movement Hezbollah continue.
According to the Times of IsraelIsraelis are advised to manually set their location on mobile devices to ensure missile and air raid alerts work correctly.
At the same time, the IDF called on the Israelis to refrain from panic buying. “No need to buy generators, stockpile food or withdraw money from ATMs,” Hagari wrote on Network X.
Sign up for our email newsletter to receive the day’s top stories every evening, Monday through Friday, plus context to help you make sense of what’s happening.
