DAccording to its own statements, the Israeli domestic secret service Shin Bet has thwarted attacks in Israel and the West Bank. A group of Palestinians and Arab Israelis are said to have planned, among other things, to assassinate National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir and attack Ben Gurion Airport near Tel Aviv, according to a report on Thursday.
According to the Shin Bet, attacks were also planned on Israeli army bases and the government complex in Jerusalem. In addition, the terrorist cell wanted to build a factory in southern Israel or the West Bank in order to produce and train weapons in an underground complex. The Shin Bet said seven Arab Israelis and four Palestinians from the West Bank were arrested. At least one of them had close contacts with Hamas in the Gaza Strip.
The security situation in Israel is also becoming increasingly tense in view of a possible escalation in the conflict with Iran. As the army announced on Thursday, vacations for soldiers have been canceled for the time being. “The Israeli army is at war and the formation of the armed forces is constantly being adjusted according to needs,” the military said. The decision was made in accordance with an assessment of the situation. The Israeli army had already announced on Wednesday evening that it wanted to mobilize missile defense reservists. It was decided to increase the number of personnel and call up reservists for air defense.
Navigation app disruptions
Meanwhile, residents in Tel Aviv and other places in central Israel reported massive disruptions to navigation apps such as Google Maps and Waze. As Israeli media reported on Thursday, many drivers in Tel Aviv were incorrectly told that they were in the Lebanese capital Beirut. Similar GPS jamming had previously been frequently reported in the north of the country or in areas close to the Gaza Strip. Since the start of the war, some GPS signals have been strategically blocked by Israeli forces there to make it more difficult for attacks by Hamas in Gaza and Iran-aligned Hezbollah in Lebanon.
Israeli media unanimously interpreted the measures on Thursday as a reaction to the latest threats from Tehran. After a suspected Israeli airstrike on an Iranian embassy building in Damascus, Iran once again threatened retaliation on Wednesday. The attack that killed several senior members of Iran's Revolutionary Guard on Monday “will not go unanswered,” President Ebrahim Raisi said.
The tightened security situation is apparently also causing concern among the Israeli population. Israeli army spokesman Daniel Hagari emphasized on Thursday that the instructions for civilians remained unchanged despite the tense situation. “There is no need to buy generators, stock up on food or withdraw money from ATMs,” Hagari wrote on the X platform. Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant reiterated on Wednesday that Israel is prepared for any scenario and threat, “against close enemies and distant enemies”. The Israeli war cabinet wanted to meet on Thursday evening to discuss tensions with Iran.