As Israel awaits Iran’s response to the killing of senior figures in Hezbollah and Hamas, users have reported disruptions to GPS navigation systems in the Tel Aviv area this morning on apps such as Waze, Google Maps, and Moovit. Users have reported that their locations as displayed on the apps are inaccurately showing them as being in Iran or Lebanon.
These disruptions to GPS location services have become increasingly frequent during the ongoing conflict. Initially reported in southern Israel, these disruptions later spread to the north and, in April, occurred in Tel Aviv as a preventative measure against a potential UAV attack by Iran.
The disruptions are carried out by the Israeli defense forces to thwart cruise missiles and UAVs launched from Iran and Lebanon that rely on GPS for guidance. Iran reportedly has at least ten UAV models.
There are two forms of disruption: jamming, which blocks the satellite signal on which the navigation system is based, and spoofing, which creates a decoy signal to confuse the system. Spoofing causes navigation systems to display incorrect locations, aimed at preventing cruise missiles and UAVs from reaching their targets.
