In a world where the importance of technology is increasing and has begun to penetrate all areas of life, and with the increasing reliance on geographic location systems, most notably the GPS, the people of the Middle East have found themselves in a predicament they have never experienced before, as the system shows the people of the governorates North In Jordan, they are at Beirut airport, while the Lebanese find their location on the map in the Palestinian Rafah area.
This phenomenon, which the residents of Lebanon, Jordan, Syria, and Iraq are complaining about, began after October 7. The first 2023, when Israel launched a fierce war on the Gaza Strip, the Israeli forces deliberately jammed and manipulated the GPS signals, in preparation for any possible responses from Iran or one of its arms in the region.
Israel has admitted on more than one occasion that it blocks the GPS for what it says are defensive purposes, but to this day it has not explicitly commented on the recent changes that have occurred to users in the Middle East and even European Countries.
Jamming is not just a technical problem but is part of a sophisticated strategy used to disrupt military operations and protect sensitive sites. It is a complex security challenge that threatens the safety of air navigation and public safety in the Middle East.
But how is jamming implemented, why do some Countries use it, how neighboring countries were affected, and what are the consequences?
The term interference with the navigation system began globally in wars, it appeared during the Russian-Ukrainian war, and recently, “Israel” used it in conjunction with its military operations on the Gaza Strip to neutralize the threat of missiles and drones coming from Gaza, southern Lebanon and Iran in two ways.
Both methods rely on the use of a variety of tools and techniques that are constantly evolving with technological progress. Information security expert Dr. Imran Salem says that they work through jammers, computer programs, satellites, or lasers, all of which broadcast strong fake signals that interfere with, falsify, or disrupt the original signal.
Network security expert Muhammad Al-Othman agrees with this, but he believes that the manipulation technique is more malicious than jamming, as it is more complex and misleading, as it sends fake signals that mimic the original signals, but they carry false information and broadcast misleading information that diverts drones from their path, unlike jamming, which disrupts the ability of receivers to correctly decode the original signals.
The manipulation requires the use of sophisticated devices to simulate satellite signals with misleading data to deceive receivers.
To ensure the success of this operation, the fake signals must be precisely adjusted in terms of timing and content to be stronger than the original signals, which makes the receiver rely on the fake information.
Regarding the goals, the two experts say that in some countries these technologies are used for purely military and security reasons. In the context of conflicts in the Middle East, jamming is used to protect vital installations and prevent the targeting of precision weapons, such as drones and missiles, or for intelligence purposes such as gathering information and misleading enemy intelligence services.
Military and political tensions, the region is facing a real cyber war. It is noteworthy that the geographical locations that appear to the residents of northern Jordan are Sites of Lebanese military affiliated with Hezbollah and other sensitive ones such as Beirut Airport, and in the south of the country appear Sites of Egyptian military, and this is considered – according to experts – part of the operations to direct these aircraft sent towards Israel before they deviate from their course.
Missiles sent from Iraq on Lebanon and another in the Egyptian Sinai, and Jordan continue to record the fall of drones, as it announced at the end of October the first in the past, 3 planes crashed in the north of the country, causing fires without any human casualties.
Thus, drones have emerged as a worrisome weapon in the Middle East, possessed by countries and groups and not requiring armies to operate them, flying in the skies. Countries without any deterrent, and even countries who do not have it now need countermeasures due to the risks caused by jamming and tampering.
The problem, according to cyber security consultant Hussein Al-Jadi, is that the drones used by Iran to strike targets against Israel do not have technologies equipped with signal receivers that are resistant to satellite navigation jamming systems, which caused them to fall inside Arab cities, most notably Jordan.
On the other hand, Jordan expects such incidents to occur as a result of the current circumstances in the region, and the Jordanian Telecommunications Regulatory Commission is taking all measures to stop jamming the GPS. The Commission said that it is technically impossible to end the problem of GPS jamming, and there are no alternative systems except for the global systems currently available for commercial purposes.
Meanwhile, Lebanon is concerned about the direct impact on air navigation, which prompted the authorities to issue a circular – since March – to pilots flying aircraft to and from Beirut Airport, regarding relying on ground navigation and not responding to GPS signals as a result of the existing jamming.
Especially since the jamming in Lebanon has reached its worst stages, to the point that a Turkish Airlines plane was unable to land in Beirut and returned to Turkey in late March.
In addition to the drones deviating from their course and the prolonged period of jamming and tampering with GPS systems, Salem says, we may witness aircraft and ship accidents, leading to loss of life and property.
In addition to traffic disruptions, leading to congestion traffic jams, and huge losses in the energy sector as it affects oil and gas exploration and production operations, which in turn causes huge economic losses, according to him.
Accordingly, it was those affected by the jamming operations have taken initial steps to stop them. Lebanon filed a complaint with the UN Security Council on March 22, 2024, denouncing “Israel’s attacks on Lebanese sovereignty that threaten the safety of civil aviation in the airspace of Rafik Hariri International Airport,” while Jordan addressed Israel, through official channels, seeking to stop the jamming, but it did not respond.
In light of these measures, legal questions arise about the legitimacy of these practices that the Israeli occupation deliberately carries out under the pretext of protecting its security.
When any country is subjected to these violations, it can resort to international forums, such as the International Civil Aviation Organization, to file official complaints and demand that the responsible parties be held accountable, as jamming and tampering with GPS signals is considered a violation of international laws, especially those that guarantee the safety of civil aviation.
That the International Civil Aviation Convention (Chicago) stipulates the need to protect navigation systems to ensure the safety of flights.
Although there is no specific international treaty that explicitly prohibits jamming or tampering with the GPS, this act is considered a violation of a set of international laws and standards, due to several agreements, most notably the Geneva Convention, which prohibits the use of weapons that cause indiscriminate or unnecessary harm to civilians, Salem says.
That jamming GPS can be considered a tool that can be used to harm civilians, especially in the context of transportation and communications.
The Law of the Sea prohibits any action that would endanger maritime navigation, as jamming GPS can lead to maritime accidents. Civil aviation agreements also regulate the movement of civil aircraft and ensure their safety.
General legal principles can be relied upon, such as the principle of non-interference in the internal affairs of states, as jamming the GPS is considered interference in the internal affairs of the targeted state, especially if the goal is to weaken its capabilities or confuse its citizens, and the principle of international responsibility for unlawful acts, which imposes international responsibility on countries which commits such acts in a way that causes harm to other countries.
On the security and political level, experts agreed that the jamming operation is part of a defensive strategy and Israeli efforts to get out of the cycle of fears created by the resistance aircraft and missiles.
