JERUSALEM:
Israel’s military suspended leave for all combat units on Thursday, amid concerns of a possible escalation in violence after the killing of Iranian generals in Damascus this week prompted threats of reprisals.
“According to the assessment of the situation, it has been decided that the leave will be temporarily suspended for all IDF (Israel Defense Forces) combat units,” the army said in a statement.
“The IDF is at war and the deployment of forces is under constant evaluation according to requirements,” it said.
On Wednesday, the military said it had deployed reservists to bolster air defenses. Reuters journalists and residents of Tel Aviv said on Thursday that GPS services had been disrupted, an apparent measure aimed at preventing guided missiles.
Iran has vowed revenge for the killing of two of its generals along with five military advisers in an airstrike on an Iranian diplomatic compound in the Syrian capital Damascus on Monday.
It is widely believed to have been an Israeli attack, one of the most significant so far for Iranian interests in Syria, which Israel has neither confirmed nor denied and risks inflaming the region further.
Also Read: Iran Vows Revenge on Israel After Damascus Embassy Attack
Since then, investors have been on edge. The Tel Aviv Stock Exchange’s benchmark TA-125 stock index (.TA125) fell another 2.2 percent on Thursday to extend losses this week to about 4 percent. The shekel was 0.6% lower against the dollar at 3.73 and government bond prices fell as much as 0.4%.
Israel has been pressing its war against Hamas for six months since the Palestinian group led an attack on southern Israel on October 7, and has also exchanged fire almost daily with Iran-backed Hezbollah in Lebanon.
Until now, Iran has avoided entering the fray directly, while supporting allied attacks on Israeli and US targets.
Amos Yadlin, a former Israeli intelligence chief, said Iran could choose this Friday – the last of the holy month of Ramadan and Iran’s Quds (Jerusalem) Day – to respond to the strike in Damascus, either directly or through a proxy .
“I wouldn’t be surprised if Iran acts tomorrow. Don’t panic. Don’t run to shelters,” said Yadlin, a senior fellow at Harvard University’s Kennedy School’s Belfer Center, referring to Israel’s air defense systems.
“Be tuned in tomorrow and then, depending on the consequences of the attack, it could escalate,” Yadlin said.
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