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Iran has reportedly launched dozens of drones to attack Israel after Israel announced it would close all schools for fear of an impending state attack.
Axios reporter Barak Ravid said four American and Israeli officials told him about the attack, although further details were scarce.
Announcing the security measures in a televised briefing, military spokesman Admiral Daniel Hagari said dozens of fighter jets were in the air as part of the state of alert.
From 11pm tonight, strict measures will come into effect, including the ban on all ‘educational activities’ across the country, the restriction of working in offices without ‘standard protected areas’ and limits on the number of people at gatherings.
Educational activities have been banned throughout the country, while work restrictions have been introduced in areas immediately adjacent to the Gaza Strip and in other areas within the Gaza envelope.
Israelis living in areas adjacent to the Gaza Strip are prohibited from gathering outdoors in groups of more than 30 people, and are allowed to meet up to 300 people inside buildings. Beaches in the Gaza envelope are also closed to the public.
Hagari said in the televised address that the directive would be reassessed at 6 a.m. local time, and urged Israelis to remain vigilant and go to bomb shelters if they hear warnings.
Israeli schools have been closed in response to threats from Iran
Tensions between Israel and Iran have escalated dramatically in recent weeks
Iran has threatened to retaliate against Israel for razing its embassy in Damascus, Syria
‘We are taking all possible measures to guarantee your safety.
“Since the beginning of the war, we have faced a variety of threats sent here by Iranian allies and have adapted our defense and offensive systems accordingly,” Hagari said, adding that the IDF was “fully prepared” for Iranian attacks .
“The air force’s defensive and attack formations are ready and there are dozens of aircraft in the air. “We are conducting a situation analysis with our strategic partners, led by the US, and we are maintaining close coordination with them,” he added.
Hagari’s televised message came as Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant held a meeting with top defense officials, including IDF chief Herzi Halevi.
Gallant said the IDF was “closely monitoring a planned attack by Iran and its allies against the State of Israel.”
“We have added new capabilities – on land, in the air, at sea, in our Intelligence Directorate, within the State of Israel and together with our partners, led by the United States.
‘Iran is a terrorist state; the world is seeing this now more than ever.”
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is reportedly on his way to the IDF headquarters in Hakirya for security consultations with top military officials in light of the threat of an attack by Iran.
Surrounding countries appear to have made preparations for an escalation of hostilities.
Jordan, Israel’s eastern neighbor, has temporarily closed its airspace to all incoming, departing and domestic flights.
The heightened security measures were announced hours after Iranian commandos took control of an Israeli-linked container ship as it transited the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world’s top shipping obstacles.
Tensions between Iran and Israel have escalated dramatically after the IDF killed 12 people, including two top soldiers, in an airstrike on the Iranian embassy in the Syrian capital Damascus on April 1.
More to follow.