Israel has raised its military forces to their highest state of readiness as fears grow of an Iranian ballistic missile attack, according to reports from Israeli media citing unnamed sources.
Israeli Channel 12 reported that authorities placed their forces on maximum alert ahead of a potential US strike against Iran. The newspaper Haaretz, citing the American network CBS, also reported that Israel is in a state of heightened alert.
Israeli sources cited by domestic media said Iran may launch a ballistic missile attack against Israel even if the Israel Defense Forces do not participate in any American military operations against Tehran. The reports follow a new US travel advisory for its citizens in the Middle East, and appear connected to discussions between Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and President Donald Trump at their recent meeting in Washington.
Despite the reported alert status, Ben Gurion Airport continued to operate normally with no flight cancellations reported. Channel 12 noted that numerous American aerial refueling aircraft had arrived in Israel in recent days, which could create air traffic management challenges.
The IDF had not issued an official statement on any change in alert levels, and the Home Front Command had announced no new measures or guidance for civilians.
Energy Sites Listed as Possible Targets
Iran’s Fars news agency, considered close to Iranian authorities, listed Israel’s Leviathan and Tamar natural gas fields among possible retaliation targets in the event of a US attack, according to the opposition Iranian outlet Iran International. Oil and energy facilities in Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Kuwait and Bahrain were also named as potential targets.
The spokesperson for the Iranian parliament’s National Security Committee, Ebrahim Rezaei, dismissed scenarios of Tehran being forced to back down under US pressure. He said the idea was an illusion that Netanyahu had presented to Trump, and warned that if Iran were attacked, the entire region and its facilities would be sent back to the Stone Age.
Channel 12 noted that on several recent occasions Israel had anticipated an Iranian missile strike that ultimately did not materialise.
