The jamming, experts told Breaking Defense, is likely related to Israel\u2019s effort to disrupt Hezbollah attacks on nothern Israel.<\/p>\n
\u201cMany bombs, drones, and other weapons use GNSS [global navigation satellite systems] for guidance these days, which makes them much more accurate and easier to manufacture than trying to build accurate INS [inertial navigation systems],\u201d said Brian Weeden, head of program planning at the Secure World Foundation. \u201cSo interfering with GNSS signals is seen as a prudent defensive move.\u201d<\/p>\n
The head of global and emerging risks at the Geneva Center for Security Policy, Jean Marc Rickli, agreed that especially when it comes to the proliferation of unmanned aerial vehicles, \u201cone of the best ways to counter them is to jam their communication systems by cutting the link between them and the operator or the GPS [Global Positioning System] signal.\u201d<\/p>\n
GPS, the\u00a0US-developed GNSS system<\/a>, is the most prevelant worldwide; a handful of systems developed by other nations are also in use.<\/p>\n While Israel has\u00a0reportedly aggressively jammed<\/a>\u00a0its adversaries in the region since the outbreak of the most recent conflict in October, the website\u00a0GPSJam.org<\/a>, which maps purported GNSS interference based on publicly broadcasted aircraft data, appears to show an geographical increase in interference over Lebanon in recent weeks. As of publication there appears to be interference covering most of the southern half of the country.<\/p>\n The interference was so bad that last week a Turkish airlines flight\u00a0reportedly<\/a>\u00a0was unable to land in Beirut and was forced to return to its origin in Turkey. (It\u2019s also\u00a0apparently interfering<\/a>\u00a0with dating apps in Lebanon and Beirut.)<\/p>\n That incident came days after the Lebanese government announced its intention to file a complaint at the United Nations accusing Israel of disrupting civil aviation navigation systems.<\/p>\n \u201cLebanon plans to urgently present its complaint to the UN Security Council regarding Israel\u2019s interference with navigation systems and civil aviation safety since the onset of the Gaza conflict,\u201d the Lebanese foreign ministry\u00a0said\u00a0<\/a>last month.<\/p>\n Lebanon is hardly alone, however, as Weeden noted there\u2019s been a marked rise in GNSS jamming related to other ongoing modern conflicts.<\/p>\n \u201cWe are seeing it happen also in the ongoing conflicts in Syria and Ukraine, and also increasingly out of conflict as well,\u201d he said. \u201cAt one point in January 2024, there was significant GNSS jamming or spoofing affecting civil aviation in eight different countries or regions. And unfortunately, because the rest of society has become so reliant on GNSS, this jamming and spoofing is having widespread impacts.\u201d<\/p>\n Alternative Navigation Systems<\/strong><\/p>\n Weeden said that when planes encounter GNSS interference, there are still ways for pilots to navigate safely to their destination.<\/p>\n \u201cSeveral [systems] use radio signals in various ways to provide fixed navigational reference points, while others provide dedicated services at airports to aid in landings. Many aircraft also still have inertial navigation systems (INS), which are mechanical devices that are set before takeoff and can maintain a position somewhat during flight,\u201d he explained.<\/p>\n Inertial navigation systems keep track of position, speed, altitude and other data without the need to use radio signals or GPS.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.fie.undef.edu.ar\/ceptm\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/240402_lebanon_gps_jam_timeline-1.gif\")