Fighter Scrambles to Intercept Planes Near Trump’s N.J. Golf Club

On Saturday afternoon, a fighter jet was dispatched after a civilian plane inadvertently entered restricted airspace above Bedminster, New Jersey, where President Donald Trump is currently spending the holiday weekend.

According to NORAD, the pilot entered the no-fly zone shortly before 2:40 p.m. Eastern time. A standard “headbutt” maneuver was employed to alert the pilot, and the aircraft was successfully guided out of the restricted area.

It marked the fourth airspace violation of the day — and certainly not the last. NORAD reported a fifth incursion later, all occurring within the same restricted zone surrounding Trump’s location.

Their response was prompt. NORAD activated its multi-layered defense system — which includes radar, satellites, and fighter jets — to secure the airspace, which is prohibited whenever Trump is in town.

Officials are urging private pilots to remain vigilant.

“If you are flying in the vicinity of Bedminster, NJ, it is imperative to check NOTAMs 1353, 1358, 2246, and 2247,” stated 1st Air Force on X. “No excuses! Stay alert, stay compliant, and avoid restricted airspace.”

Last month, a senior Shiite cleric from Iran issued a religious decree aimed at President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, which some analysts interpreted as a provocation for terrorism.

As reported by the New York Sun, Grand Ayatollah Naser Makarem Shirazi released a fatwa urging Muslims globally to take action. The fatwa asserts that any person or nation that opposes or threatens the leadership and unity of the global Islamic community (the Ummah) is deemed a “warlord” or a “mohareb,” a term defined as one who wages war against God. Under Iranian law, individuals classified as mohareb may face execution, crucifixion, limb amputation, or exile.

“Those who pose a threat to the leadership and integrity of the Islamic Ummah are to be regarded as warlords,” Makarem stated in his ruling. He concluded with a prayer for protection against these “enemies” and for the swift return of the Mahdi, a messianic figure in Shiite Islam.

Niyak Ghorbani, a British-Iranian critic, condemned the fatwa as a government-sponsored incitement to global terrorism.

He expressed on his X account that the aggressiveness of the Islamic Republic extends beyond domestic dissent and signifies broader international aims for religiously motivated violence.

“The West must understand: the Islamic Republic is not solely focused on its own citizens — it is gearing up for worldwide violence under the guise of religion,” he stated in the post.

This fatwa was issued following the so-called “12-Day War,” during which American and Israeli forces allegedly inflicted significant damage on Iran’s nuclear capabilities.

On June 13, Israel initiated strikes on Iranian nuclear and military sites, resulting in the deaths of key scientists and commanders. In retaliation, Iran launched ballistic missiles at Israeli cities. A week later, the United States entered the conflict, targeting three Iranian nuclear facilities.

Trump has previously cautioned that any further uranium enrichment by Iran to weapons-grade levels would lead to increased U.S. intervention. This warning followed a temporary ceasefire that marked the end of 12 days of intense fighting.

Last week, Trump claimed that Israeli operatives had examined Iran’s Fordow nuclear facility after the recent U.S. airstrikes, describing the site as “completely destroyed.”

He also warned of additional measures if Iran resumed uranium enrichment.

“They have personnel who assess the damage post-strike, and they reported it was total destruction,” Trump informed attendees and journalists at a NATO meeting in The Hague this week.

Trump further noted that Israel is in the process of conducting a comprehensive damage evaluation and implied that Iran had insufficient time to move any materials from the site prior to the attack.

He likened the U.S. airstrikes on Iran’s Fordow and Natanz nuclear facilities to the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, asserting that both had a similarly decisive impact in bringing the conflict to an end.

Trump’s rhetoric became progressively more dramatic throughout the day, as he rejected reports from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) indicating that Iran’s stockpile of 400kg of 60 percent enriched uranium had gone missing, as noted by Forbes.