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BREAKING ALERT!Twice in the past 48 hours, F-16 fighter jets intercepted general aviation aircraft near President Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resortNORAD INTERCEPTS AIRCRAFT VIOLATING TEMPORARY FLIGHT RESTRICTION OVER PALM BEACH, FLORIDATYNDALL AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. - North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) F-16 fighter aircraft from the Continental U.S. NORAD region responded to a general aviation aircraft over Palm Beach, Florida on March 9, 2025.The civilian aircraft violated the Temporary Flight Restriction (TFR) at approximately 1:15 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time. The aircraft was safely escorted out of the area by NORAD aircraft.During the intercept, NORAD aircraft dispensed flares, which may have been visible to the public. The flares were used to draw attention from or communicate with the pilot. Flares are employed with the highest regard for safety, burn out quickly and completely, and pose no danger to people on the ground."NORAD and the FAA work closely together to keep the skies over America safe, with close attention paid to areas with Temporary Flight Restrictions (TFR)," said Gen. Gregory Guillot, Commander, NORAD and US Northern Command. "Adherence to TFR procedures is essential to ensure flight safety, national security, and the security of the President. The procedures are not optional, and the excessive number of recent TFR violations indicates many civil aviators are not reading Notice to Airmen, or NOTAMS, before each flight as required by the FAA, and has resulted in multiple responses by NORAD fighter aircraft to guide offending aircraft out of the TFR. Should the pilot of an aircraft happen to find itself intercepted by one of fighters or helicopters, they should immediately come up on frequency 121.5 or 243.0 and turn around to reverse course until receiving additional instructions on one of those frequencies."NORAD employs a layered defense network of radars, satellites, and fighter aircraft to identify and respond to potential threats. The identification and monitoring of the civilian aircraft demonstrate how NORAD executes its aerospace warning and control missions for the United States and Canada.Since the January 20, 2025 presidential inauguration, NORAD has responded to over 20 tracks of interest entering the Palm Beach, Florida TFR area.Aircrews are reminded to verify all FAA NOTAMS, especially in the NCR and Mar-a-Lago regions.For more information about General Aviation and TFRs visithttps://www.norad.mil/General-Aviation/