REGULATIONS / IL
Israel: drone rules for inspection
Israel's Civil Aviation Authority (CAAI) regulates drones under the Aviation Law, but no CAAI primary document could be opened this session. This entry rests on news reports and a law-firm summary and is unverified. Draft small-UAS rules (under 25 kg, Part 107-style, 60 m ceiling) were published in 2020. After the war began in October 2023, civilian flights were reported to be tightly restricted and tied to an active UTM connection. In October 2026 a six-month security order banning fiber-optic- and SIM-controlled drones was reported. Inspection work must assume security-restricted areas and air force coordination, and needs checking with the authorities beforehand.
Draft (not yet checked against official sources)
Fields are recorded in the language of the research notes.
| Authority | イスラエル民間航空局 (CAAI)、国防相（安全保障命令） / Civil Aviation Authority of Israel (CAAI); Minister of Defence (special security orders under the Aviation Law) |
| Main framework | The Aviation Law and regulations under it, administered by the CAAI. In October 2020 the CAAI published draft regulations for small UAS (under 25 kg), broadly modelled on US Part 107, with indoor-only operations and aircraft of 250 g or less outside the definition of 'drone'. Whether these were adopted, and in what form, was not checked (law-firm summary only; (not verified against an official source, 2026-10-22)). Security orders under the Aviation Law add wartime restrictions on top. |
| Registration | The 2020 draft included drone registration requirements, but whether registration is in force today was not checked (not verified against an official source, 2026-10-22) |
| Remote ID | Industry reports from October 2023 say the CAAI ruled that no drone may fly anywhere in Israel without an active connection to a licensed UTM system. The CAAI has licensed UTM/U-space providers (for example High Lander/Vega). The ruling text was not seen (not verified against an official source, 2026-10-22) |
| Pilot licensing | Commercial drone operations are understood to need both a CAAI operator licence and a pilot licence. The 2020 draft offered only a narrow exception for unlicensed pilots supervised by a licensed operator, and no foreign operators (not verified against an official source, 2026-10-22) |
| Risk categories | The 2020 draft covered drones under 25 kg in VLOS, with waivers for other operations. Current categories were not checked (not verified against an official source, 2026-10-22) |
| BVLOS | The 2020 draft did not provide for BVLOS beyond waiver-style licensing. National BVLOS and delivery programmes have run, but the general approval path was not checked (not verified against an official source, 2026-10-22) |
| Night & over people | The 2020 draft required a safe distance from uninvolved people and would have allowed more night options than US Part 107. Current rules were not checked (not verified against an official source, 2026-10-22) |
| Near structures | The 2020 draft proposed a 60 m AGL ceiling, with case-by-case permission up to 100 m. Extensive security-restricted areas and coordination with the Israeli Air Force apply. Details were not checked (not verified against an official source, 2026-10-22) |
| Indoor & confined | The 2020 draft left indoor-only operations outside its definition of 'drone', but the current status was not checked (not verified against an official source, 2026-10-22) |
| Imaging & privacy | Protection of Privacy Law, including Amendment 13 (in force 2025) (not verified against an official source, 2026-10-22) |
| Recent changes | October 2023: after the outbreak of war, civilian drone flights were heavily restricted and a UTM-connection requirement was reported (secondary sources only; (not verified against an official source, 2026-10-22)). October 2026: Israel Hayom reported that the Defence Minister would sign a temporary six-month special security order under the Aviation Law, approved by the security cabinet after public comment. The order bans fiber-optic-controlled and SIM/cellular-controlled drones in Israeli-controlled airspace. Exempt are security agencies, ground-tethered fiber-optic drones, SIM-based drones approved by the CAA before the order, and cases approved by a review committee. Import restrictions and other new requirements are also reported. The order text was not seen (not verified against an official source, 2026-10-22) |
Sources
- Israel to ban fiber, SIM-controlled drones amid intelligence on plots to target senior officials (13 October 2026)Full text read
- Israel CAA rules out drone flights without active connection to a UTM system (20 October 2023)Full text read
- New Civilian Drone Regulations: Israel Moves One Step Closer to its Own Version of Part 107 (5 November 2020)Full text read
Sources checked: 2026-10-22