Elon Musk did not make it to Tel Aviv, but he still opened one of Israel’s most visible mobility events of the year. Tesla’s CEO appeared by video call at the Samson International Smart Mobility Summit 2026 after Transportation Minister Miri Regev said the security situation prevented him from coming to Israel. Musk spoke from Austin, Texas, where he said it was around 2:30 a.m., and took questions on autonomous driving (AD), artificial intelligence, and Tesla’s vision for the future of transportation. For more stories from The Media Line go to themedialine.org His appearance gave the summit an immediate global name, but the spotlight in Tel Aviv was less about celebrity than about the difficult work behind smart mobility: getting autonomous systems, drones, air taxis, safety software, and new transit ideas out of pilot mode and into public use. 'I’m a huge admirer of the innovation coming out of Israel' The most direct moment for the Israeli audience came when Musk turned to the country’s technology sector in a moment of appreciation: “I have to say, you know, I’m a huge admirer of the innovation coming out of Israel,” he said. “Honestly, I think objectively true that Israel punches far above its weight for population. I think probably number one, honestly, in the world,” adding, “My hat is off to Israel for just how much incredible innovation. I say innovation per capita. Israel must be number one by far in the world.” Asked about Tesla’s approach to self-driving technology, Musk said the company was making “steady progress” toward making AD widely available, relying on “AI and cameras” rather than radar or light detection and ranging (LiDAR), a technology that uses laser pulses to measure distances and create precise 3D maps of objects, terrain, or spaces. “It’s really trying to drive