Israel-Iran tension: Israel cuts off GPS, cancels leave for soldiers fearing Iran attack

GPS navigation services blocked, leave for combat units cancelled, air defence command amplified — Israel has left nothing to chance as it fears a possible retaliatory attack from Iran following the killing of 13 people, including two Iranian generals, in an airstrike in Syria, foreign media reports said.

Israel, which is already stretched thin due to its war with Hamas in the Gaza Strip, is expecting a response from Iran after April 5, the last Friday in the holy month of Ramadan. The day is observed by Iran as Jerusalem Day to express support for the Palestinians.

The airstrike on the Iranian diplomatic compound in the Syrian capital killed a top Iranian Quds Force commander, General Mohammad Reza Zahedi. This was the most high-profile killing since Quds Force commander Major General Qassem Soleimani was killed in a US drone strike in 2020.

While Iran has so far stayed away from directly attacking Israel, a retaliation for the recent airstrike may further destabilise the already volatile Middle East region.

ISRAEL PREPARES FOR IRAN THREAT: KEY POINTS

• Israeli authorities have intensified GPS jamming efforts, disrupting navigation services across the country, in a bid to ward off possible guided missiles and drones. This will ensure that weapons that rely on GPS to set their location are rendered unusable. In fact, residents of places like Tel Aviv and Jerusalem, which are far away from combat areas, complained of not being able to use location-based app services, the BBC reported.
• The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) has temporarily suspended the leave of all combat units. Forces have been deployed at all of Israel’s borders and air defence systems have been bolstered.
• The military is also mulling opening shelters in Tel Aviv as a precautionary measure, The Guardian reported. Forces have been deployed at all of Israel’s borders. A report in The Times of Israel said several municipalities have already started opening bomb shelters.
• Local media outlets in Israel have reported that the authorities had placed on alert or evacuated some of the country’s embassies. Separately, the authorities have urged residents not to engage in panic buying of groceries, store food, or withdraw money from ATMs.
• While Israel has not officially taken responsibility for the attack, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said the country would “act against Iran and its proxies, defensively and offensively”. On the other hand, Iran’s President Ebrahim Raisi has said the strike would “not go unanswered”. Experts told BBC that neither side wants an escalation that may lead to an all-out war.