Not familiar with the reported approach, could someone confirm it happened while performing the ILS for runway 26?
If the El Al flight was low over Mod'in, that would put it on the extended centreline of 30, unless they were manoeuvring for 26 from the south (unlikely).
As an occasional visitor to TLV, I think they are testing an ILS installation on RW30, which would augment the present non-precision or visual approach.
The VOR app onto RW30 is not approved in my airline, so we fly an RNAV visual. This is done in LNAV/VNAV with AP engaged and I have to say it is quite impressive. We used to get quite a few 'events' using this runway which have pretty much stopped with the new procedure.
I remember doing it the 'old way' and I'd agree with
ornithopter and categorise the approach as 'moderately interesting' but not 'difficult'. You generally flew the extended centreline of 12, broke off and went downwind at 4,000' then were cleared for a visual onto 30. The trick seemed to be to slow up & configure early to keep the groundspeed down, which let you turn inside the hills without ending up high and fast.
** Pure speculation ** - Mod'in is about 10 miles away from TLV, which suggests they were on the NP app for 30. The fact that they got close to the ground before realising probably points to an approach in IMC and/or at night with some confusion over MDA or a platform altitude, I'd guess...
