Amid Iran’s retaliation threat following the killing of senior Revolutionary Guard commanders in Syria, Israel has stepped up its military defence. Israel suspended leave for combat united and heightened its air defence command to deal with possible missile or drone attacks.
Reportedly, the Israeli military is also planning to reopen shelters in Tel Aviv as a precaution.
"In accordance with the situational assessment, it has been decided that leave will be temporarily paused for all IDF (Israel Defense Forces) combat units. The IDF is at war and the deployment of forces is under continuous assessment according to requirements,” the military said in a statement.
Iran has vowed revenge after an airstrike destroyed the Iranian consulate in Damascus, killing at least 11 people, including a senior commander in the al-Quds force of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC).
Iran’s foreign minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian said that Netanyahu has completely lost his mental balance due to failures in Gaza.
“We consider this aggression to have violated all diplomatic norms and international treaties. Benjamin Netanyahu has completely lost his mental balance due to the successive failures in Gaza and his failure to achieve his Zionist goals," said Amir-Abdollahian.
Iran has vowed to respond to the strike "at the same magnitude and harshness”.
The IDF has also intensified GPS jamming efforts, causing disruptions to navigation services and affecting daily operations. Reportedly, the jamming has expanded to key areas in Israel, including Tel Aviv and Jerusalem.
IDF is preparing for missile and drone attacks by Iran-backed groups in Lebanon, Syria, Iraq and Yemen as well, reported The Times of Israel.
Israel has not yet claimed responsibility for Monday's attack in Syria.
Instructions to the public issued by the Home Front Command amid the war against Hamas in Gaza remained unchanged.
IDF spokesperson Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari in a post on X said Israeli civilians do not need to “buy generators, store food and withdraw money from ATMs.”
“The instructions of the Home Front Command remained unchanged,” he said. “As we have done until today, we will immediately update on any change, in an official and orderly manner,” Hagari added.
