Islam Times - Turbulence in Israel Amid Expectation of Iran’s Retaliation

Islam Times - The Israeli attack on the Iranian consulate in Damascus has more complicated the situation for the occupied territories than for Iran and Syria. In fact, the Israelis are now very much worried and anticipating Iran's response after the Monday attack on Iran's diplomatic mission in the Syrian capital and this has seriously disheveled the living conditions in the occupied territories. This mess has almost affected economy, politics, and even the daily life of the settlers, and almost no one in the occupied territories is settled now.

Evacuating and closing down 28 embassies and consulates

The Jerusalem Post, citing an informed source, reported that at least 28 embassies and consulate of Israeli regime were closed down temporarily amid expectation of Iran's retaliation. Kan Radio reported that Israel's Foreign Ministry, after consulting with law enforcement agencies, decided that a number of embassies should be evacuated as part of anticipation of Iran's response to the attack on Damascus.

Military on alert

For the past few days, Israeli military has suspended the leave of its combat units and increased its air defense command to deal with a possible missile or drone attack from Iran. In this regard, the Guardian has reported that based on the situational assessment, the army has been decided to temporarily cancel the leave for all combat units. The Israeli army announced in a statement that it is at war and the deployment of forces based on needs is under continuous evaluation.

Unusual situation

On Friday, some Hebrew-language sources reported a massive blast in the occupied territories. It is said that it happened near one of the power girds of the regime between the settlements of Kafr Tholt and Azzoun in the east of Qalqilya. According to Israeli sources, the blast also occurred at a time when the occupying forces were stationed in the area.

After this explosion, state of unsettlemrnt hit other areas of occupied territories, and there were reports that in the early hours of today, alarms began sounded in Kissufim settlement near the Gaza Strip. According to these reports, sirens sounded after rockets were launched towards this settlement. Last night, too, alarm bells sounded in parts of the southern regions following suspicion of drone infiltration, and Al-Mayadeen reported that the alarm bells sounded on the border with Jordan for the fear of drone attacks.

Israeli settlers wandering between the stores

Reports by Israeli media tell about a fear of the settlers of possible retaliatory attacks, shortage of food, and possible famine amid expectations of war. An Israeli media outlet also reported that Israeli hospitals are preparing for emergency operations, with Ichilov Hospital in Tel Aviv putting medical teams on standby over the weekend. On the other hand, Sheba Medical Center and Beilinson Hospital in central Israel have organized emergency teams to reinforce hospitals in case of massive casualties.

Combined crisis

From another aspect, Operation Al-Aqsa Storm has added to the already-existing home crises in the occupied territories, making the circumstances tough for Tel Aviv leaders. There are ongoing rifts in the Knesset between the government and the opposition parties that hold half of the parliamentary seats and are against Netanyahu’s war policies. A combination of these political infighting and Gaza war puts Netanyahu’s position at stake. In addition to terrible examples of multi-faceted crises in Israeli regime that put Netanyahu in a tight spot, continuation of Hamas missile firing, which have grounded the flights in Ben-Gurion International Airport and zeroed the tourism sector revenues, have closed down a majority of multinational companies and forced out foreign investors. Additionally, 200,000 Israelis are now displaced in camps and are within missile range of Hamas.

Israeli and American worries

Reporting on the Israeli worries about possible Iranian retaliation, Axios reported that Iranian officials have publicly threatened to retaliate against Israel for the attack that killed a top Iranian official. The Biden administration and the Israeli government are highly concerned Iran is preparing for an imminent attack. A direct Iranian strike on Israel would be unprecedented and could lead to a regional war in the Middle East. In an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council on Monday, Iran's deputy UN ambassador Zahra Ershadi said Iran "has exercised considerable restraint" and Israel "must bear full responsibility" for the consequences of the strike.