How Israel is preparing for Iran's retaliation as Netanyahu continues double game

TEL AVIV — Israelis are once again nervously awaiting threatened retaliation by Iran, this time following the assassination in Tehran of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh on Wednesday, with many expecting a coordinated attack early next week. 

Preparing for attack

On Thursday, Yossi Shelley, director general of the Prime Minister's Office, held emergency talks with the heads of government ministries that political sources described as “preparations for a regional war.” They discussed, among other things, such possibilities as rapid evacuations to mass shelters (including the Carmel Tunnels, in the northern port city of Haifa; the underground parking garage of the Habima National Theater, in Tel Aviv; and elsewhere), refrigeration of bodies, and halting manufacturing at plants using hazardous materials like ammonia. Municipalities have reopened public shelters, and some have canceled sporting and cultural events. Israelis have raided supermarkets to stock up on supplies.