An El Al Boeing 787 aircraft unintentionally crossed into Lebanese territory at the start of Operation Swords of Iron, as reported in Israel Hayom today. El Al confirmed that there was no danger posed to the passengers or crew, and the incident was quickly resolved.
On October 9, while departing to Florida with 200 people on board, the plane was forced to deviate from its normal route due to the heavy volume of Israel Air Force flights caused by the war with Hamas.
After a few minutes, the flight encountered storm clouds, forcing the pilots to change course. Under the guidance of air traffic control, the plane inadvertently entered Lebanese airspace. It was later revealed that the plane was identified as a civilian aircraft in international control systems, and the Lebanese air traffic control did not communicate with it.
Lebanon's Hezbollah air defense systems
Despite Lebanon lacking fighter jets or air defense systems, Hezbollah possesses a type 22-SA Pantsir anti-aircraft missile system that was utilized against Israel Air Force planes in the following days. In response, the IAF destroyed the system used by Hezbollah.
El Al responded by stating, "During the initial days of the war, route changes were necessary for operational security reasons. We cannot disclose specific routes. We emphasize that the safety of our passengers and crew has always been our highest priority, and at no point were they in danger."