The communication network of an El Al plane flying from Phuket to Ben-Gurion Airport was attempted to be taken over by “hostile elements” on Saturday night, as reported by KAN Reshet Bet on Sunday. The plane managed to reach its destination safely. This incident marks the second time such an attack has occurred in the past week. Sources suggest that a group in Somaliland, which recently signed an agreement with Ethiopia, may be responsible for the attempted attack, although the incident occurred in an area where the Iran-backed Houthis are active.
The crew noticed the attack and thwarted it by disobeying the instructions given to them, quickly switching to alternative means of communication, and checking the data against other air traffic controllers to realize that they were being misled. This raised concerns that the attackers may have been attempting to damage the plane or lead it to dangerous areas, possibly for the purpose of conducting a kidnapping. This is a worrying development in the security of airline travel.
