Israel runs several scenarios, prepares for attacks by Iran, Hezbollah

Rina Bassist

Aug 1, 2024

Rockets fired from southern Lebanon are intercepted by Israel's Iron Dome air defence system over the Upper Galilee region in northern Israel, on July 15, 2024, amid ongoing cross-border clashes between Israeli troops and Lebanon's Hezbollah fighters. (Photo by Jalaa MAREY / AFP) (Photo by JALAA MAREY/AFP via Getty Images) — Rockets fired from southern Lebanon are intercepted by Israel's Iron Dome air defence system over the Upper Galilee region in northern Israel, on July 15, 2024, amid ongoing cross-border clashes between Israeli troops and Lebanon's Hezbollah fighters. — JALAA MAREY/AFP via Getty Images

A series of measures taken Thursday by Israel’s security agencies, including warnings for Israelis traveling abroad over potential attacks and the closure of factories in the north of the country that stock inflammable materials, signal that Israel is preparing for retaliation from Hezbollah and Iran following the killing of senior Hezbollah commander Fuad Shukr in Beirut and Hamas' leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran this week.

Israel claimed responsibility for Shukr's assassination but has shied away from commenting on Haniyeh's killing. Iran, Hamas and Hezbollah have vowed retaliation against Israel.

A variety of scenarios

The Israeli security establishment is readying for variety of scenarios, including attacks on different scales by Iran, Hezbollah, Hamas, the Houthis in Yemen, and militias in Iraq and Syria. In parallel, Israel is also preparing for the possibility of an outbreak of violence in the West Bank.