Where to see the Israeli Air Force's Independence Day flyby

IDF adds flyover to Sderot and other Gaza-adjacent communities to show ‘appreciation’ for residents’ ‘strength and resilience’ during recent round of fighting in the Strip

The Israeli Air Force on Thursday began its annual Independence Day flyover in northern Israel, with various aircraft zipping over cities and towns throughout the country over the course of the morning and into the early afternoon.

F-15, F-16, F-16I and F-35 fighter jets; the Lavi training aircraft; C-130 and C-130J cargo planes; the Boeing refueling plane; Black Hawk, Sea Stallion, Panther and Apache helicopters were scheduled to take part in the flyby, known in Israel as the matas.

This year, the military added flybys over the Israeli communities closest to the Gaza border, which this week saw bloody fighting, in which nearly 700 rockets and mortar shells were fired and four Israeli civilians were killed.

The army said this additional flyover was meant to “express the appreciation that the Israel Defense Forces has for the residents of southern Israel for the strength and resilience that they showed during the recent days of fighting and over the years.”

A kindergarten in the southern town of Sderot that was hit by shrapnel from a rocket fired from the Gaza Strip that struck its courtyard on May 5, 2019. (Sderot Municipality)

At 8:45 a.m., a small group of helicopters buzzed the President’s Residence in Jerusalem during an annual ceremony in which 120 soldiers are awarded the President’s Medal of Distinction.

The acrobatic airshow was scheduled to begin at 9:30 a.m. over the Ramat David Air Base in northern Israel, continuing to the port city of Haifa for two shows, one at 9:40 a.m. and one over the beaches at 9:47 a.m.

From there, the four Beechcraft T-6 Texan II turboprop airplanes that make up the acrobatic team, will head to the capital, performing over Jerusalem’s Sacher Park at 11:20 a.m., before traveling to the Tel Nof Air Base at 11:35 a.m., Tel Aviv’s Bograshov Beach at 11:50 a.m., the Air Force Museum in the Hatzerim Air Base at 1:05 p.m. and finally Beersheba’s River Park at 1:15 p.m.

Here is a partial list of flyby times for cities and towns throughout the country:

Jerusalem: 12:40 p.m.

Tel Aviv: 11:59 a.m.

Haifa: 10:00 a.m.

Modiin: 12:13 p.m.

Beersheba: 2:45 p.m.

Ashdod: 11:41 a.m.

Netanya: 11:33 a.m.

Rehovot: 10:55 a.m.

Sderot: 10:23 a.m.

A full list (in Hebrew) of flyover sites and times, as well as a link to a smartphone application to track the aircraft, can be found here: https://www.matas-iaf.com/press.html