The Hebrew site "Yedioth Ahronoth" revealed last night that an Israeli civilian plane belonging to "El Al" flew over Lebanon on October 9, two days after the "Al-Aqsa Flood" operation carried out by Hamas. The details state that the Israeli plane, which took off from Tel Aviv heading to Florida, deviated from its course and flew over the outskirts of Tyre in southern Lebanon, ultimately arriving at its destination safely.
According to the Hebrew site, due to the sensitivity and seriousness of the event, it chose not to publish the issue at that time, responding to a request from the Deputy Director-General of Operations at the airline to refrain from disclosing the news at the beginning of the war. The site pointed out that airlines operating since October 7 are primarily Israeli airlines, with "El Al" at the forefront, adding that the company continued its flights to Europe, the United States, South Africa, and the Far East, while most foreign airlines canceled their flights to Israel.
At the time, "El Al" claimed, which was not published due to the news being withheld, that the main reason for the pilot diverting the aircraft was "bad weather conditions that forced him to ascend to an altitude of 24,000 feet over Lebanon, near the city of Tyre." However, the response received by the site last night, before publication, seemed entirely different and addressed security reasons. "El Al" sent another statement to the Hebrew site last night stating: "In the early days of the war, an operational need arose to change the existing flight paths for security reasons, about which we cannot disclose additional information. We confirm that there was no danger to the security of passengers and crew at any stage, and the company places the safety and security of travelers at the top of its priorities."
The site quoted unnamed senior officials indicating that an investigation into this incident will be conducted, examining it thoroughly with the airplane's captain and the controller who was on duty, and lessons will be drawn to prevent a similar scenario in the future.
