An Israir flight originally scheduled to land in the Slovenian capital, Ljubljana, was forced to divert to Zagreb, Croatia. The company announced on Wednesday that Slovenian authorities denied the landing permit. Israir accused the responsible Slovenian officials of “politically motivated decisions” with CEO Uri Sirkis claiming the refusal violated applicable aviation agreements and EU law. According to Sirkis, official Israeli bodies, such as the foreign ministry and aviation authority, intervened in an attempt to resolve the planned landing, but these efforts were unsuccessful. Slovenia has been characterized as particularly critical of Israel within the EU in recent years. For instance, the government recognized a Palestinian state in May 2024 and imposed sanctions on Israeli ministers Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich in July 2025. However, the new Slovenian head of government, Janez Janša, who has been back in office since May, is regarded as being pro-Israel.
Mixed
