Anticipating an attempt by Hizbullah to avenge the death of its operations officer, Imad Mughniyeh, Israel has instructed airlines flying to Israel that all passengers must put on their seat belts 290 km. (180 miles) before reaching Israel – or roughly 30 minutes before landing. Pilots, too, have been asked to lock themselves into the cockpit.
Until now, the seat belt "curfew" was only made effective at a distance of 150 km. from Israel's shores, or about 15 minutes before landing. The procedure is supposed to give security teams an edge in case of an attempt to hijack a plane as it nears Israeli shores.
The instructions were issued by Danny Shenar, security officer for the Ministry of Transport. Israeli embassies and institutions abroad were also placed on alert after the death of Mughniyeh, and government minister's security was tightened.