Lebanon files UN complaint over Israel's GPS jamming

Lebanon has escalated its concerns over alleged Israeli cyberattacks to the international stage. The Lebanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs has officially lodged a complaint with the UN Security Council and Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, urging condemnation of what it terms "Israel's cyberattacks on Lebanon," according to the state-run National News Agency (NNA).

The complaint is backed by findings from Lebanon's Ministry of Telecommunications, which reports that signal interference originating from northern Israel has significantly reduced the accuracy of navigation systems within Lebanon. This disruption is said to affect a wide range of applications and potentially "jeopardize the country's civil aviation services and telecom systems at vital facilities."

The IDF has acknowledged blocking some GPS signals as part of its ongoing conflict with Hamas in Gaza and clashes with Hezbollah in Lebanon. The effects of this interference have been noticeable since the early days of the war, with Israeli motorists using navigation apps like Waze and Google Maps often seeing their locations displayed incorrectly - for instance, users in Tel Aviv appearing to be in Cairo.

This isn't the first time Lebanon has raised this issue on the international stage. In March, Beirut announced its intention to file an urgent complaint with the UN Security Council, characterizing the GPS disruption as a "violation of its sovereignty" by Israel.

This latest move by Lebanon highlights the growing importance of digital infrastructure in modern conflicts and the potential for such disruptions to escalate diplomatic tensions.

* The Times of Israel contributed to this article.