New details can be found in an update at the bottom of this story.<\/p>\n
\u201cMexican cartel drones breached US airspace. The Department of War [DOW] took action to disable the drones,\u201d the administration official told us. \u201cThe FAA [Federal Aviation Administration] and DOW have determined there is no threat to commercial travel.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThe FAA and DOW acted swiftly to address a cartel drone incursion,\u201d Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy has also said in a statement. \u201cThe threat has been neutralized, and there is no danger to commercial travel in the region. The restrictions have been lifted and normal flights are resuming.\u201d<\/p>\n
The FAA and DOW acted swiftly to address a cartel drone incursion. <\/p>\n
The threat has been neutralized, and there is no danger to commercial travel in the region. <\/p>\n
The restrictions have been lifted and normal flights are resuming. https:\/\/t.co\/xQA1cMy7l0<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Secretary Sean Duffy (@SecDuffy) February 11, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cThe temporary closure of airspace over El Paso has been lifted,\u201d according to an earlier post from the official FAA account on X. \u201cThere is no threat to commercial aviation. All flights will resume as normal.\u201d<\/p>\n The temporary closure of airspace over El Paso has been lifted. There is no threat to commercial aviation. All flights will resume as normal.<\/p>\n \u2014 The FAA \u2708\ufe0f (@FAANews) February 11, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n Reuters had earlier reported that the FAA\u2019s action was \u201ctied to the Pentagon\u2019s use of counterdrone technology to address Mexican drug cartels\u2019 use of drones,\u201d citing anonymous \u201cairline sources.\u201d Politico had also reported a link to counter-drone testing, citing an unnamed aviation industry source. Coordination problems between the FAA and the military may have created a disconnect<\/a>. An unnamed U.S. official reportedly told The Atlantic that the \u201cFAA reopened the air space after talking to officials at Fort Bliss,\u201d as well. Fort Bliss lies adjacent to El Paso International Airport.<\/p>\n Airline sources told Reuters the grounding of flights in El Paso was believed to be tied to the Pentagon’s use of counterdrone technology to address Mexican drug cartels’ use of drones of the U.S.-Mexico border. @davidshepardson<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Idrees Ali (@idreesali114) February 11, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n Hearing the same. FAA reopened the air space after talking to officials at Fort Bliss (which is in El Paso), a US official tells me. https:\/\/t.co\/thMobka11v<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Nancy Youssef, \u0646\u0627\u0646\u0633\u064a \u064a\u0648\u0633\u0641 (@nancyayoussef) February 11, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n TWZ has reached out to the White House, the FAA, the Pentagon, U.S. Northern Command (NORTHCOM), Fort Bliss, and the El Paso County Sheriff\u2019s Office for more information about the circumstances surrounding the airspace closure.<\/p>\n The FAA had issued the temporary flight restrictions suddenly and without apparent warning to various federal, state, and local authorities, causing immense confusion, which is clearly continuing to a degree. The airspace closure centered on El Paso International Airport, and extended 10 miles in all directions and up to an altitude of 17,999 feet. This led to a ground stop at the airport and a total shutdown of air traffic within the affected zone, which was declared to be \u201cnational defense airspace.\u201d Warnings that intruders could face the risk of deadly force if deemed to be an \u201cimminent security threat,\u201d as well as the possibility of being \u201cintercepted, detained, and interviewed,\u201d were issued<\/a>. Even military, police, and medical evacuation aviation activities were impacted. The only explanation given initially for the airspace closure, which was originally slated to last 10 days, was unspecified \u201cspecial security reasons.\u201d<\/p>\n Odd national security pop-up TFR in El Paso, Texas <\/p>\n The control power just informed a southwest flight. They just got noticed that a TFR ha gone into effect for 10 days for national security reasons. The airport has been shut down for 10 days. \ud83d\udc40\ud83e\udd14<\/p>\n Via @theATCapp<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/r96MrpRiXx<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Thenewarea51 (@thenewarea51) February 11, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n Similar airspace restrictions were also imposed overnight over an area around Santa Teresa, New Mexico, to the west of El Paso, the current status of which is unclear.<\/p>\n In connection with the NOTAM closing the airspace over El Paso, the FAA has also prohibited all flight operations in the nearby Santa Teresa area, citing special security reasons. The same validity period and altitude parameters apply. pic.twitter.com\/ooOAnBSBR1<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Flightradar24 (@flightradar24) February 11, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cWe were just as surprised as anyone that the NOTAM was imposed and just as surprised that it was lifted,\u201d U.S. Army Maj. Will McGehee, a spokesperson for the 1st Armored Division at Fort Bliss, told TWZ this morning after the flight restrictions over El Paso were lifted. \u201cWe are trying to figure out what is going on and referring all calls to the FAA. We don\u2019t have any information about why the FAA did this.\u201d<\/p>\n In addition to the 1st Armored Division, Fort Bliss is home to a significant portion of the Army\u2019s air defense units, which are increasingly charged with the counter-drone mission<\/a>. The base is also a major hub for border security operations, which the U.S. military often conducts in cooperation with law enforcement agencies, as well.<\/p>\n \u201cFrom what my office and I have been able to gather overnight and early this morning there is no immediate threat to the community or surrounding areas. There was no advance notice provided to my office, the City of El Paso, or anyone involved in airport operations,\u201d Veronica Escobar, the Democrat who currently represents the El Paso area in the House of Representatives, wrote earlier on X. \u201cWe have urged the FAA to immediately lift the Temporary Flight Restrictions placed on the El Paso area.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNobody local got advance notice. And I mean nobody \u2013 neither civilian or military leadership,\u201d El Paso City Councilmember Chris Canales also said, according to Blake Spendley (who goes by the handle @OSINTtechnical<\/a> on X).<\/p>\n We have urged the FAA to immediately lift the Temporary Flight Restrictions placed on the El Paso area.<\/p>\n I will continue to make information public as I learn it.<\/p>\n \u2014 Rep. Veronica Escobar (@RepEscobar) February 11, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n As noted, cross-border drone activity linked to Mexican drug cartels is not new and happens routinely, historically as a means of smuggling illicit narcotics. However, cartels in Mexico have been expanding their drone capabilities in recent years to include the use<\/a> of weaponized commercial types<\/a>. These are developments that TWZ highlights regularly, including in a detailed feature last year about the prospect of U.S military action against the cartels and the ramifications thereof, which you can find here<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cDrones crossed over but the reason why they used a counter-unmanned aerial system (CUAS) was because they were extremely aggressive and put helicopters at risk,\u201d Stefano Ritondale, chief intelligence officer for Artorias, an artificial intelligence-driven intelligence company specializing in cartel violence in Mexico, Latin American affairs, and trade\/organized crime, told TWZ. \u201cDrones cross over all the time.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cBased on the area in which the TFRs are located and who we have seen operate in that area, the most likely culprit would be La L\u00ednea\/Cartel de Ju\u00e1rez,\u201d a spokesperson for a team of open source analysts with a focus on cartels & other non-state actors, who goes by the handle @natsecboogie<\/a> on X, also told us. \u201cWe have documented some of their drone use along the border for smuggling.\u201d<\/p>\n Last year, the U.S. military did announce the deployment<\/a> of additional counter-drone capabilities as part of a larger buildup along the border with Mexico. This is known to have included radars<\/a> and other sensors just to help better monitor for potential threats.<\/p>\n The action taken today also follows a string of announcements<\/a> from the Pentagon recently about new authorities<\/a> to respond to drone threats in the U.S. homeland. Last year, U.S. Air Force Gen. Gregory M. Guillot, head of NORTHCOM, had openly advocated<\/a> for these authorities in part to address cartel drones along the southern border.<\/p>\n What happened today is evidence of the new counter-drone response mechanisms in place now. NORTHCOM has now established a rapidly deployable counter-drone capability<\/a>, though it\u2019s unclear if it was employed in this case. At least on the part of the U.S. military, the ability to decide to act seems to be much clearer-cut, in general. At the same time, what happened overnight underscores the importance of interagency coordination and communication, especially with the public and among stakeholders, which seems to still be sorely lacking.<\/p>\n General concerns about drone threats to the U.S. homeland, especially to military assets<\/a> and other critical infrastructure<\/a>, have been steadily building up for some time now, as well. This has included collisions and near-misses<\/a> with U.S military aircraft flying over training ranges, as well as incidents involving U.S. naval forces offshore<\/a>. Reported drone incursions over nuclear power plants<\/a> and other facilities have spiked<\/a> in recent years.<\/p>\n In many instances, drone concerns have become intertwined<\/a> with claimed sightings of what are often now referred to as unidentified aerial phenomena (UAP), or what used to be more commonly called unidentified flying objects (UFO).<\/p>\n Altogether, questions do still remain about what exactly prompted the airspace restrictions around El Paso today, but they do serve to underscore real concerns about drone threats that have been growing for some time.<\/p>\n Update: 1:55 PM EST \u2013<\/p>\n CBS News<\/a> and CNN<\/a> have both now reported that a breakdown in coordination between the U.S. military and the FAA over the employment of a counter-drone system armed with a laser directed energy weapon contributed to the imposition of the flight restrictions around El Paso.<\/p>\n \u201cMeetings were scheduled over safety impacts, but Pentagon officials wanted to test the technology sooner,\u201d according to CBS News, citing multiple unnamed sources. \u201cAirlines were also aware of the apparent impasse between the FAA and Pentagon officials over the issue because the Pentagon has been using Fort Bliss for anti-cartel drone operations without sharing information with the FAA.\u201d<\/p>\n SCOOP: The unexpected airspace closure in El Paso stemmed from disagreements over drone-related tests, sources told @CBSNews<\/a>. Pentagon had undertaken extensive planning on use of military tech near Fort Bliss.\u00a0Two sources identified the technology as a high-energy laser.![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/no-drone-zone-fort-bliss.jpg\")
A no drone zone warning sign at Fort Bliss. US Army <\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/mpq-64-radar-border.jpg\")
A US Army AN\/MPQ-64 Sentinel radar seen deployed near the southern border with Mexico in 2025. US Army <\/p>\n
Earlier\u2026<\/p>\n