Israel on high alert as tensions with Iran escalate—the details

Report by Amal Shehadeh, English adaptation by Mariella Succar

Israeli security agencies have raised their level of alert and readiness nationwide, from the north through central Israel and down to the south, following a recommendation issued after a series of emergency security consultations.

The consultations were held late Saturday night after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was briefed by U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio during a phone call on Washington’s plans regarding Iran.

Iran, for its part, warned on Sunday that it would respond immediately to any U.S. attack by targeting Israel and U.S. forces in the region, a threat that led to an increase in both the level and pace of security meetings in Tel Aviv.

According to a security report, Israeli military intelligence is closely monitoring the extent to which ongoing protests could undermine Iran’s ruling system.

At the same time, Israeli officials have not concealed their concerns about the possibility of facing heavy barrages of Iranian ballistic missiles, particularly as air defense systems are facing shortages following the 12-day war between Iran and Israel.

Netanyahu has maintained strict ambiguity regarding Israel’s position, withholding details of the government’s assessment. 

However, he chose to open the weekly Cabinet session with a tone of optimism, expressing confidence in the success of protests in Iran and pointing to potential scenarios of closer relations in the future.

In contrast, security officials and experts have warned that relying on protests to bring down Iran’s leadership may be unrealistic.

This assessment has kept Israel at a peak level of readiness, not only with regard to Iran, but also in anticipation of the potential ignition of other fronts, amid talk of freezing the front with Lebanon, at least for the time being.