Israel preparing after White House warning of possible Iran attack
There are preparations being made in Israel. The Israeli army spokesman Daniel Hagari said that they received a message from their American counterparts, but that they didn’t detect any aerial threats or preparations from the Iranians just yet based on their own intelligence.
But Hagari did go on to say that if Iran were to attack Israel similarly to how they attacked in April when they launched nearly 350 ballistic cruise missiles and drones into Israeli territorial air space, they say they are prepared with their air defences and that there would be consequences.
At the same time, Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant is currently meeting with the army chief of staff, according to reports from Israeli media, [and] they’re discussing this threat – how to combat it, and other measures to put in place.
There have been new Home Front Command guidelines that have been issued by the military and the government, putting restrictions on gatherings. Staff at the US embassy have been ordered to shelter in place, and politicians are speaking about unity at a time like this.
Missile lands near Tel Aviv
Israeli Army Radio is reporting that a “missile launched from Lebanon” exploded in an open area near Bat Yam, near Tel Aviv.
Segments of Israeli public, media raised the idea of attacking Iran
The Israeli public has been “drunk on euphoria” over the success of recent intelligence and military operations in Lebanon, including the explosion of thousands of pagers, Menachem Klein, of the Department of Political Science at Bar-Ilan University in Israel, told Al Jazeera.
That, he said, has led to some segments of the public and the media discussing whether Israel should “seize the moment” and raise the option of attacking “the Iranian nuclear project”.
However, he added that the state of emergency that has been declared in the country may have tempered that euphoria, adding that public movement in Israel will be limited just as the country heads into the start of Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year.
It’s a move that Klein assumes the Israeli government and the military would not have taken during a religious holiday without a very good reason.
Israeli army says potential Iranian attack to be on wide scale
We have some more comments from Daniel Hagari, the Israeli army spokesperson, who says a possible missile attack from Iran is likely to be on a wide scale. Speaking to reporters, he said Israel is following the threat “seriously” and asked the public to follow the guidelines of the Home Front Command.
