# Security Services in Israel Canonical page: https://closeprotectionhire.com/countries/israel/ Security services in Israel. Close protection for Tel Aviv from operators with ex-IDF and Shin Bet backgrounds. FCDO advises against all travel to parts of Israel. ## Regulations - **Licensing**: Security services companies and offices in Israel are licensed under sections 18(b) and 19(a) of the Private Investigators and Guard Services Law 5732-1972. The licences are issued by the Private Investigators and Security Services Licensing Committee, part of the Ministry of Justice's Regulation of Professions Division. Ask any provider for its Ministry of Justice licence and, for armed officers, the firearm licence. - **Firearms**: Security guards in Israel carry firearms under an organisational firearm licence issued to the security company by the Firearm Licensing Department of the Ministry of National Security, under the firearms law enacted in 1949. Each armed guard's application needs authorisation from the Israel Police and the Ministry of Health. Applicants must be citizens or permanent residents who have lived in Israel for at least 3 years. - **Foreign operators**: A security guard firearm licence is open only to Israeli citizens or permanent residents who have lived in Israel for at least 3 years, so a visiting foreign officer cannot carry a firearm as a guard. Use an Israeli-licensed security company, and take local legal advice before a foreign team carries out protective duties in Israel. Sources, checked 2026-10-07: - [gov.il, Apply for a security services office licence (Regulation of Professions Division)](https://www.gov.il/en/service/license_guard_services_office) - [gov.il, Apply for an organizational firearms license (for security guards)](https://www.gov.il/en/service/firearm_guard_license_application) - [gov.il, Apply for a firearm license for organizations](https://www.gov.il/en/service/organizational_firearm_license) - [Duke Center for Firearms Law, Firearms law in the shadow of war (December 2023)](https://firearmslaw.duke.edu/2023/12/firearms-law-in-the-shadow-of-war) ## Cities covered - **Tel Aviv**: Israel's commercial and technology capital. US State Department Level 3 (Reconsider Travel) applies to the country; the FCDO advises against all travel to parts of Israel, which do not include Tel Aviv (updated 22 July 2026). February 2025 bombs detonated on Tel Aviv city buses. Hamas rocket fire, Houthi drone and missile attacks, and ongoing Gaza conflict operations define the operational environment. Israeli CP professionals hold some of the highest technical standards globally. Israel is a high-technology economy and a significant commercial partner for the UK and US. It also carries FCDO advice against all travel to parts of the country, including Gaza and areas near the northern borders, and against all but essential travel to most of the West Bank (updated 22 July 2026), and a US State Department rating of Level 3 (Reconsider Travel). Any operation in Israel requires more pre-deployment work than virtually any other destination covered on this site. The CP professional community in Israel is among the most experienced globally. The pool of former IDF special forces, Shin Bet, and police operators is large and battle-tested. This does not reduce the threat environment. It reflects the fact that Israel has required professional security for civilian and commercial operations for decades. ## The current conflict environment The Gaza conflict, which entered a new phase following the 7 October 2023 Hamas attacks, has created a multi-vector threat environment for all of Israel. Hamas rocket fire from Gaza, Houthi drone and missile attacks from Yemen, and the risk of Hezbollah escalation from Lebanon all remain active. February 2025 saw bombs detonated on city buses in Tel Aviv. This was a significant escalation in terms of attack methodology in the Israeli civilian urban environment. It demonstrated that no part of Israel is operationally treated as outside the threat zone. ## Ben Gurion International Airport Ben Gurion Airport has remained open throughout the conflict period, though with intermittent disruptions. Airlines from multiple countries have suspended or reduced services. Houthi attacks have targeted flight paths in the region. Air movement planning to and from Israel requires current carrier status checks and contingency planning for service disruption or airspace closure. ## Mandatory pre-travel requirements No deployment to Israel should proceed without a current written risk assessment addressing: rocket and drone threat levels, specific travel dates and conflict status, shelter-in-place protocols for all venues and accommodation, medical care availability, and evacuation routes. This is the minimum baseline. The risk assessment must be dated within 30 days of travel given the rate of change in the operational environment. Source: FCDO Travel Advice: Israel (2025; scope of advice as updated 22 July 2026). US State Department Israel Travel Advisory Level 3 (2026). OSAC Israel Country Security Report 2024. IDF and Israeli police public incident reporting (2025). Our vetted operators provide [close protection and executive protection](/services/executive-protection/) and [security driver services](/services/security-drivers/) across Israel. For a detailed local assessment, see our [Tel Aviv city briefing](/cities/tel-aviv/). ## Frequently asked questions ### FCDO advises against all travel to parts of Israel. What does this mean in practice? The FCDO's advice covers listed areas, not the whole country (updated 22 July 2026). It advises against all travel to Gaza; within 500m of the Gaza border; the Tulkarm, Jenin and Tubas Governorates of the West Bank (except Route 90); areas in the north near the Lebanon border and across the Golan Heights (north of Route 89 between Nahariyya and Dalton, north of a line east from Dalton to Route 91, and north of Route 91, excluding routes 89 and 91 themselves); within 500m of the Alpha line in the occupied Golan Heights; and Sheba'a Farms and Ghajar. It advises against all but essential travel to the rest of the West Bank, with exceptions including East Jerusalem, Bethlehem, Ramallah and Jericho. Tel Aviv is not in any listed area. The US State Department rates Israel at Level 3 (Reconsider Travel), one step below its highest designation. This does not mean that operations in Israel are impossible: essential diplomatic, commercial, and humanitarian operations continue under this designation. It means that every deployment to Israel requires a current, specific written risk assessment, contingency planning for rocket and drone attack, and clear medical and evacuation arrangements before anyone travels. ### What happened with the Tel Aviv bus bombs in February 2025? In February 2025, explosive devices detonated on city buses in Tel Aviv, causing casualties. The attacks occurred during the ongoing Gaza conflict and were attributed to militant activity. They demonstrated that Tel Aviv, despite its distance from the primary conflict zones and significant Israeli security infrastructure, remains a target for attacks by non-state actors. The bus network is a soft-target environment by definition: physical security planning for Tel Aviv itineraries should minimise exposure to public transport. ### What is the Houthi missile and drone threat to Tel Aviv? The Houthi movement in Yemen has conducted drone and ballistic missile attacks on Israel since October 2023, in declared solidarity with Hamas. Tel Aviv and Ben Gurion International Airport have been among the targets. Israeli air defence systems have intercepted the majority of incoming munitions, but not all: a Houthi drone struck Tel Aviv in July 2024, killing one person. The threat requires itinerary awareness of proximity to air defence warning systems and pre-planned shelter locations in any Tel Aviv building or venue used as a base.