Israeli premier’s official plane flies out without Netanyahu amid heightened tensions

By Abdel Raouf Arnaout and Tarek Chouiref

JERUSALEM/ISTANBUL (AA) – The official aircraft of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu departed Israel on Wednesday without him, flying to an undisclosed destination amid rising regional tensions, Israeli media reported.

Channel 12 said the plane, known as the “Wing of Zion,” took off from Ben Gurion Airport while Netanyahu was attending a hearing at the Tel Aviv District Court, where he was giving testimony in his ongoing corruption trial.

The broadcaster noted that the flight occurred against the backdrop of escalating tensions with Iran, recalling that the same aircraft was flown out of Israel on June 13, 2025, just hours after the outbreak of war with Tehran.

No official explanation has been issued by Netanyahu’s office, and it remains unclear whether Wednesday’s departure was connected to regional developments or carried out for other reasons.

During the Iran war, Israeli media had suggested that the aircraft was moved abroad over concerns it could become a potential target of an Iranian strike.

Channel 12 later quoted an unnamed Israeli military official as saying the flight was part of a routine training exercise.

The development came a day after US President Donald Trump pledged assistance to protesters in Iran, saying he had canceled all meetings with Iranian officials “until the senseless killing of protesters stops.”

“Help is on its way,” Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform.

Protests swept Tehran and other Iranian cities since late last month over worsening economic conditions in the country.

Iranian authorities have not released official figures on casualties or the number of detainees. The Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA), a US-based group, however, estimates that at least 2,500 people have been killed, including protesters and security personnel, and more than 1,100 others injured.

The group also says more than 18,000 people have been detained, though these figures have not been independently verified and differ from other estimates.