Controlled chaos: Inside Israel's air traffic during unprecedented US-Israel strikes - interview

ByAMIR BOHBOTAUGUST 9, 2026 04:04The Israeli Air Force revealed to Walla last week details of what unfolded inside air traffic control bases during the joint US-Israel war with Iran.From the heavy burden placed on air traffic controllers in synchronizing an unprecedented cooperation between the IAF and US military - the world's most precise aerial strike force - to the split-second decisions that kept the skies safe, and of course, what this formidable aerial machine will do next.It was the most complex, dangerous, and historic day since the establishment of the Israeli Air Force's air traffic control. Hundreds of aircraft of every possible type were returning simultaneously from precision strikes deep inside Iran.Israel’s airspace turned into an explosive, high-stakes traffic jam of fighter jets, helicopters, refuelers, drones, and civilian flights operating at different altitudes and along overlapping flight paths. As if that were not nerve-wracking enough, the IDF and US military defense systems required immediate real-time calibration against incoming missiles and suicide drones launched from Iran and Lebanon.There were several critical moments for the IDF's air traffic control on the opening day of Operation Roaring Lion. Until now, many of these nerve-wracking, highly sensitive moments have never been discussed publicly. It began with controllers alerting IAF commanders that hundreds of aircraft were heading back from distances of roughly 1,500 kilometers following the strikes in Iran.US Air Force Rockwell B-1B Lancer dropping JDAM bombs photographed from the canopy of an escort fighter jet. (credit: Screenshot/X/BLT)'The most crowded airspace ever'"Imagine hundreds of aircraft returning from a strike to land all across Israel: Fighter jets, transport planes, airborne early warning aircraft, refuelers, helicopters, drones - some belonging to a partner military (the US), which required coordination in English... Meanwhile, scores of other aircraft were taking off from Israel for a second wave of strikes in Iran while maintaining readiness across other fronts," a senior IAF officer explained in an interview with Walla."On top of that, air defense batteries and naval forces protecting the country's skies were on high alert for missiles and drones already en route from Iran to Israel... Interceptors were seconds away from launching... And this incredibly complex operation had to be synchronized with absolute perfection by the air controllers, who had trained for this exact moment for years. When the Americans increased the number of their aircraft operating in Israel, the challenge grew immensely. It was extremely congested, and we had to run communications in two languages simultaneously."While thousands of IAF personnel were prepared for their respective missions, right up to the second a fighter pilot presses the trigger to launch a missile or drop a bomb, air traffic control personnel were preparing for scenarios that diverged from the plan, ones that could catch the system off guard."The most crowded airspace ever, heavy radio traffic, aircraft flying in extremely close proximity - but that’s what we plan for. We trained for this years in advance," the senior officer explained. "And that's before factoring in sudden weather shifts, technical malfunctions, or last-minute operational changes. All of that has to be coordinated and integrated into the system on the fly."'This is the war of our lives'The Air Force commander on the day of the operation, Maj.-Gen. Tomer Bar, was deeply involved in the briefings ahead of the launch of Operation Roaring Lion and placed major emphasis on the element of surprise. The second priority was preparing for a scenario in which the enemy launched different types of threats from multiple locations simultaneously. Every plan had a contingency plan, approved down to the smallest details, including contingencies and responses, by Maj.-Gen. Bar, who routinely challenged unit commanders with difficult questions.The order for H-hour was passed to the command of the air control system, which was responsible for coordinating and synchronizing all layers of aviation in Israeli airspace and deep into Iranian territory, using airborne controllers aboard aircraft. Col. R., who began his career in the system as a conscript and rose through the ranks with distinction, looked at his watch and realized he had 12 hours in total to prepare.With meticulous planning, he traveled the length and breadth of the country to meet Air Force units face to face, including personnel in the control towers. His aim was to brief them, convey his feelings, and impress upon them the enormity of the moment resting on their shoulders. These were conversations about the opening of a war. They perform an extremely sensitive role, without which the well-oiled machine could not carry out the largest operation since the founding of the state, nor enable aircrews to unleash precise fire on thousands of targets simultaneously. And then do it around the clock."This is the war of our lives. We have done similar things before, but nothing like this has ever been done in the Air Force," the system commander noted. Even then, he told them: "You have done things in the past that I never believed, and never dreamed, that we would do. You are going to fortify the security of the State of Israel for a long time. This is what we trained for, this is what we have fought for until today, and now, forward."The commanders of the air control system held their breath during the first minutes of the launch. Ground crews at the various squadrons sent the aircraft into the air. The hot air swept across their faces. Clearance for takeoff came from the control towers, and the aircraft were handed over to the control units one after another, using code words. The dots began filling the radar screens."If veterans of the system could have seen the picture, they would have fallen out of their chairs because of the scale... An unfathomable figure," said a senior officer in the system. "When do you breathe? Only when the reports come in about the quality of the strikes in Iran - the battle damage assessment - as a result of the fact that we managed to surprise them."The opening wave was carried out on Saturday morning. Civilian aviation in Israel continued to operate normally. Light aircraft took off throughout the country, while passenger aircraft took off from and landed at Ben Gurion Airport. Within this aerial environment, the Air Force had to launch its aircraft without arousing suspicion among anyone on the Israeli side or in the region, so that the Iranians would not discover that they were about to experience an unprecedented attack that would eliminate the regime's leadership.Only at a relatively late stage, after explosions had been heard throughout Iran and the element of surprise had ended, did air control personnel instruct civilian aircraft to hurry and land at airports throughout the country.'On top of all those challenges, Hezbollah overloaded the picture'The next stage involved issuing directives across the Middle East: synchronizing Israeli and US Air Force operations across the entire region against a backdrop of incoming and outgoing commercial and military air traffic.It was an unprecedented operation, carried out under shifting weather conditions across multiple countries, with the ultimate goal of landing aircraft safely without safety incidents - all while THAAD, Arrow, David's Sling, Iron Dome, and other air defense systems were locked and loaded for interceptions."Think of it like the most complex video game you’ve ever played. Hundreds of planes, massive amounts of ordnance in the air, incoming enemy missiles, our own interceptors racing to shoot them down - and we have to make it all work seamlessly. We have to bring every plane down safely on one hand, while ensuring smooth takeoffs for timely strikes in Iran on the other."Another vivid memory burned into the minds of senior air traffic control officers occurred a few days later, when Hezbollah's leadership gave the order to join the war by launching rockets, missiles, drones, anti-tank guided missiles, and cross-border insurgent attacks."Imagine that on top of all those challenges, Hezbollah overloaded the overall picture. What they didn't realize... was that for two years prior, we had been upgrading our capabilities to stop them before they could cross the border... while simultaneously providing air cover for ground maneuvering forces... in multiple sectors at once."But you can never rest on your laurels. We are constantly refining this area even further... Consider that Hezbollah launched drones just one kilometer from the border - the closest possible threat - which is an extremely tough scenario to handle... along with attack drones targeting the home front and our forces maneuvering inside Lebanon... all while managing long-range threats from third-tier nations simultaneously."During the war, an additional task was assigned to the air traffic control: Issuing early warning alerts for aerial threats - including rockets, missiles, and drones - intended for both civilians and troops. The alerts were routed directly through the air control units' decision-making pipeline across various sectors to shave off vital seconds and improve targeting accuracy."The word 'controller' is a bit of a misnomer, because in reality, we don't just oversee the process - we actively manage it. It's hands-on air traffic management. First, you have to master the sky, understand the flight paths to and from target areas, and know what needs to be done at every step, including handling unexpected crises instantly."The constant fear of a mid-air collision - heaven forbid - in a war zone with that level of traffic creates non-stop high-pressure calls, and on top of that, you have to manage the entire IAF alongside our American partners. It's a level of operational strain we had never experienced before," the senior officer explained.'Everything flows through the air traffic control'"Looking back at the war - without getting into classified details - we set strict separation distances and time windows for flying inside enemy airspace during strikes so we wouldn't accidentally shoot each other down, heaven forbid. Throughout the war, because we were flying joint missions [with the US military], we operated at extremely tight proximities. Take mid-air refueling far from Israel's borders, for example... coordinating an American tanker with an Israeli jet is highly complex."Then you have to synchronize the strike pattern over Iran at specific altitudes, but what happens if a jet struggles to climb to its assigned altitude because of unexpected weather, double the standard weapons payload, and a heavy fuel load? And that's not even counting our air defense role over Israel. We reached a peak response time of 14 seconds from threat detection to shootdown. As a commander, it's mind-blowing that we brought our people to this operational standard. Everything flows through the air traffic control."The air traffic control conducted exhaustive debriefs to refine its operations, but senior officers emphasize that the core foundations proved solid. However, training programs were overhauled based on the lessons learned from Operation Roaring Lion."We took our training courses and heavily sharpened the focus on rapid decision-making under extreme pressure. We applied the same split-second execution we used for airspace management directly to our air defense protocols. Beyond that, we integrated a host of advanced technologies - from detection systems to interception management tools - that drastically cut down response times. This requires our controllers to be both highly tech-savvy and capable of heavy multitasking under combat conditions."It was a vital transformation for our personnel, alongside massive operational shifts that I'm not at liberty to disclose."The final memory the senior officer reflected on was the moment rockets struck cities where the families of air controllers live."For example, towns like Dimona and Arad. We have many soldiers, officers, and NCOs who live there, and some of their families' homes were damaged. It’s one of those moments that takes your breath away - and yet you have to keep running the mission while worrying about your loved ones, ensuring both our controllers and their families stay resilient. It's a deeply complex reality."Concluding the interview, the senior officer stated: "It's important for me to emphasize: no matter where the State of Israel sends us to carry out a mission, we will know how to execute it. That resilience is part of the massive evolution we underwent during this war - and throughout Operation Roaring Lion."Follow us on Google