Bar Refaeli's wedding sparks spat among Israeli officials over no-fly zone

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Bar Refaeli and fiance Adi Ezra requested a no fly zone over their wedding
They are understood to have plans to fly five drones above the ceremony, as well as having two helicopters and an observation balloon
Citing safety concerns over congested airspace, Israel's Civil Aviation Authority agreed to the couple's request
The no fly zone over this evening's wedding has sparked angry in Israel

Published: 11:12 EST, 24 September 2015 | Updated: 18:33 EST, 24 September 2015

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When supermodel Bar Refaeli ties the knot in a lavish star-studded ceremony in her native Israel tonight, the main drama could play out in the skies overhead.

The 30-year-old is due to tie the knot in a lavish ceremony at a picturesque resort in the Carmel Forest in the north of the country.

Hoping to avoid the peeping gaze of paparazzi, Refaeli and her fiancé Adi Ezra asked Israel's Civil Aviation Authority to shut down the airspace above the wedding.

Citing safety concerns over potentially congested airspace, the authority agreed.

Getting hitched: Hoping to avoid the peeping gaze of paparazzi, Refaeli and her fiancé Adi Ezra (pictured) asked Israel's Civil Aviation Authority to shut down the airspace above the wedding

The couple are due to tie the knot in a lavish ceremony at a picturesque resort in Israel's Carmel Forest

Model: Bar Refaeli, who previously dated actor Leonardo DiCaprio, stirred controversy in Israel in the past by not carrying out her two years of mandatory military service

Venue: Refaeli and Ezra are set to marry this evening at the Beresheet Hotel in Carmel Forest (pictured)

The implementation of a no fly zone over Refaeli's wedding ceremony sparked an angry retort from Israeli Transportation Minister Israel Katz.

'The skies belong to the entire public and exclusivity cannot be granted for commercial reasons for high-profile people,' he said.

After reports emerged that flights would still be restricted, Katz delivered a scathing note to the authority's director, saying 'if the skies above Bar Refaeli's wedding won't be open, you will be removed from your post.'

Local media reported that there were plans to have five drones, two helicopters and an observation balloon for the wedding.

The drones were apparently for photography, while at least one of the helicopters was intended to bring the couple to the wedding, Haaretz newspaper reported.

A transportation ministry spokeswoman was not able to say whether those plans would still be allowed to go ahead.

Diving in head-first! Yesterday the model appeared so excited about the impending wedding that she dived into a swimming pool wearing her wedding veil

Happy: This will be Refaeli's second time down the aisle having previously married Arik Weinstein from 2003 to 2005. Bar also famously dated DiCaprio, on and off from 2005 before finally breaking up in 2011

Soon-to-be Mrs: Refaeli celebrated her lavish bachelorette party in the Maldives, earlier this year

Refaeli, who previously dated actor Leonardo DiCaprio, stirred controversy in Israel in the past by not carrying out her two years of mandatory military service.

Yesterday the model appeared so excited about the impending wedding that she dived into a swimming pool wearing her wedding veil.

She took to Instagram to share the snap, which she captioned with the words 'Head first'.

Another image was captioned: 'This time tomorrow... I'll be dancing in white'. Liked more than 50,000 times, it also generated a slew of comments.

One said: 'Sooo happy for you !! hope tomorrow will be the happiest day of your life & that Adì is really the one who will make you forever happy!!'.

Refaeli and Ezra are set to marry this evening at the Beresheet Hotel in Carmel Forest.

Recently the fashion model gushed about her March engagement, telling Hello!: 'Obviously I said 'yes'! It was very surprising but we were very happy...Everything fits and everything is just right.'

And on her upcoming wedding, she gave a couple of sneaky details, saying: 'Very simple: not a lot of people, not in a big place, maybe outdoors, barefoot …'

This will be her second time down the aisle having previously married Arik Weinstein from 2003 to 2005. Bar also famously dated DiCaprio, on and off from 2005 before finally breaking up in 2011.