The Federal Council has not yet decided whether it considers the conflict in the Middle East to be a war in the sense of neutrality law. Nevertheless, the US military was denied overflights.
March 13, 2026, 11:25 amMar 13, 2026, 11:44 am
christoph bernet / ch media
The Federal Council is still hesitating. He continues to check Whether the law of neutrality applies to the military conflict between the USA, Israel and Iran. For this to happen, “armed conflicts between states would have to have a certain duration and intensity,” said Federal President Guy Parmelin (SVP) on Monday in response to a corresponding question in the National Council.
Switzerland refused to allow the US military to fly over: A US Air Force transport plane at the British military airport in Fairford (March 10).Image: keystone
If the state government comes to the conclusion that the conflict is a war within the meaning of the law of neutrality, Switzerland, as a neutral country, must act accordingly. It must prohibit military overflights of the participating states with a direct connection to the hostilities and ban arms exports to the warring countries.
Although this fundamental decision by the Federal Council is still pending, Switzerland has rejected two overflight requests from the US military since the escalation in the Middle East began on February 28th.
The Federal Office of Civil Aviation (FOCA) confirmed this to CH Media. The applications were not approved for “procedural reasons”. The applications required extensive clarification and ultimately had to be rejected because of the deadlines, explains the FOCA.
No application on the Federal Council’s table yet
Foreign states need a permit known as “diplomatic clearance” for military overflights through Swiss airspace. The Federal Office of Civil Aviation examines the relevant requests in consultation with the Directorate for International Law in the Foreign Ministry and the Air Force.
Applications with “significant political implications” are submitted to the Federal Council for a decision. These are, in particular, overflights in preparation for or support of combat operations. Such a request has not yet been received since the escalation between the USA, Israel and Iran broke out almost two weeks ago, as the FOCA explains. (aargauerzeitung.ch)