Slovenia Denies Landing of Israeli Passenger Plane at Ljubljana Airport

On Wednesday, Slovenia denied permission for an Israeli passenger plane to land at Ljubljana airport, compelling the aircraft to reroute and land at Zagreb airport in Croatia, according to Hebrew reports.

The Israeli airline "Israir," which operates the plane, issued a statement reported by the newspaper "Maariv," indicating that Slovenia's decision was due to the local authorities' position concerning the policies of the Israeli government.

Israir's CEO, Uri Sirkis, commented on the incident, stating, "The decision by Slovenian authorities forced the plane to change its destination."

He further described Slovenia's action as a violation of European Union aviation agreements and regulations.

Sirkis noted that Israeli authorities, including the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Civil Aviation Authority, participated in efforts to find a solution that would allow the flight to proceed to Slovenia as originally scheduled, but all attempts failed.

According to "Maariv," sources close to Slovenian authorities indicated that the issue is expected to be resolved soon with the arrival of a new prime minister and government supportive of Israel.

The sources referred to Janez Janša, the right-wing leader who supports Israel and is set to return as prime minister after securing the backing of 51 members of parliament, replacing the current liberal prime minister Robert Golob.

Slovenia has also imposed travel bans on Israeli figures Ben Gvir and Smotrich, signaling a bold European shift against Israel.