An airplane lands at the Rafik Hariri International Airport in Beirut, Lebanon, July 1, 2020. (Photo by Bilal Jawich/Xinhua via Getty Images)

BEIRUT — Lebanon has filed a formal complaint against Israel regarding purported GPS jamming that it says has endangered civil aviation in the country.

The Lebanese Ministry of Telecommunications announced Tuesday on X that it filed the complaint and “directed [it] to the United Nations and the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) for consideration” through the ministry of foreign affairs.

Lebanon has complained for months about electronic interference, especially in the southern half of the country, which it blames on Israel. Israel has been trading fire with Lebanese Hezbollah along the border since renewed fighting in Gaza in October.

In April, Breaking Defense reported on increased GPS jamming in the country, and experts said then that the jamming is most likely related to Jerusalem’s effort to disrupt Hezbollah attacks. At the time, experts like Secure World Foundation’s Brian Weeden said that “many bombs, drones, and other weapons use GNSS [global navigation satellite systems] for guidance these days […] so interfering with GNSS signals is seen as a prudent defensive move.”

Lebanon has long signaled its intention to file a complaint amid increased interference, including after a March incident in which a Turkish airline flight couldn’t land in Beirut International Airport. In some cases pilots have been asked to use land-based control stations for their landing and take-off from the country.

“Several [systems] use radio signals in various ways to provide fixed navigational reference points, while others provide dedicated services at airports to aid in landings. Many aircraft also still have inertial navigation systems (INS), which are mechanical devices that are set before takeoff and can maintain a position somewhat during flight,” Weeden told Breaking Defense in April. Inertial navigation systems keep track of position, speed, altitude and other data without the need to use radio signals or GPS.

GPS, the US-developed GNSS system, is the most prevalent worldwide; a handful of systems developed by other nations are also in use.

The website GPSJam.org has used publicly broadcast aircraft data to track what appears to be GNSS interference in the region showed a geographical increase over Lebanon in March. The most recent maps show apparent jamming affecting most of the country.

Israel does not appear to have publicly commented on the jamming complaint.