A reservist soldier fired Saturday morning at a powered paraglider that entered the airspace of an Israeli community in Gush Etzion, a settlement bloc in the West Bank, after apparently suspecting it was a terrorist infiltration attempt, the IDF said. No one was wounded, and no damage was reported.
According to the IDF, the paraglider had taken off from the Jordan Valley area with prior coordination but deviated from the airspace approved for its flight.
“Earlier today, a reservist soldier identified a powered paraglider that entered the airspace of an Israeli community in eastern Gush Etzion,” the IDF said. “The soldier fired at the paraglider, without damage or casualties. The paraglider moved away.”
The military said that after an initial inquiry, it became clear the paraglider had taken off from the Jordan Valley area in coordination with authorities but had strayed beyond the airspace assigned to it. “The incident is under review,” the IDF said.
The episode comes amid heightened Israeli sensitivity to aerial infiltration attempts since Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023, attack, when terrorists used motorized paragliders, among other methods, to cross from Gaza into southern Israel during the massacre.
That tactic became one of the most recognizable symbols of the attack and has sharpened security forces’ alertness to any unidentified paraglider near Israeli communities.