After threats made about a week ago that an Israeli strike in Beirut would lead to Iranian intervention, Tehran has fired missiles at northern Israel.
As a reminder, about a week ago, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said in an interview with the Lebanese channel Al Mayadeen that Iran had informed the US that "if Beirut is attacked, we will not accept this under any circumstances."
He added, "From our perspective, such an action means that the ceasefire has been completely violated, and our armed forces will respond." In another post on X, Araghchi stressed that the ceasefire applied "to all fronts, including Lebanon," and that "a violation on one front is a violation of the ceasefire on all fronts, with the US and Israel responsible for the consequences."
IDF prepares for fire in the coming hours
Alongside the statements in the Middle East, the IDF Spokesperson's Unit issued a dramatic statement this evening, saying that following the strike in Beirut and after a special situational assessment, the military was explicitly preparing for the possibility of fire toward Israeli territory in the coming hours. The military said it had significantly reinforced its aerial and ground defense components, and was now at peak readiness and alert for a wide range of scenarios, both defensive and offensive. IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir and various IDF commanders are holding ongoing situational assessments and closely monitoring developments.
Against the backdrop of the high operational alert, the IDF Home Front Command decided on a significant change to its defensive guidelines and a shift to a reduced activity format nationwide. Under the new policy, all educational activities of any kind are completely banned, and gatherings are limited to up to 200 people in open areas and up to 500 people inside buildings, provided there is immediate access to a proper protected space when an alert is received. In addition, beaches across the country have been completely closed to the public, and workplaces may continue routine activity only in places from which employees can reach a proper protected space within the required warning time.
