Israel’s Home Front Command has moved search and rescue forces to Tel Aviv and other cities in preparation for potential Iranian and Hezbollah attacks, the Israel Defense Forces said on Tuesday.
The Ram Battalion (668) of the IDF’s Search and Rescue Brigade (60th) has repositioned itself in Tel Aviv, the economic and cultural hub of Israel along the central Mediterranean coastline.
The unit has moved near Menora Mivtachim Arena in the Yad Eliyahu neighborhood, where the Home Front Command’s rescue vehicles and trailers are stationed.
Both Tehran and its Lebanese terror proxy have threatened to target military sites in the Tel Aviv area. The Ram Battalion would respond to any building collapses or other destruction.
According to the IDF, rapid rescue teams have also been deployed to Haifa, the Haifa bay area and several cities in the south and center of the country.
The deployment followed a recent situational assessment held by the Home Front Command.
It was also decided to position a permanent battalion in the Red Sea resort town of Eilat, which has been targeted multiple times by Iran’s Yemeni terror proxy, the Houthis.
Underground parking lots to be converted to shelters
Some Israeli municipalities are preparing to turn underground parking lots into emergency shelters in the event of a sustained wave of attacks from Iran and its terror proxies, Channel 12 reported on Tuesday.
Rishon LeZion in January added a feature to its website allowing residents to search for the closest underground parking lot to evacuate to in the case of an emergency.
The municipality published a list of recommended items to bring, “which includes cash, identification documents, credit cards, a personal mobile phone and charger, a medical condition sheet and a health insurance card, a change of clothes, personal bedding (bags sleeping/personal mattress/blankets, etc.), water bottles at least 2 liters per person per day, dry food, personal medicines, flashlight, personal hygiene and toiletry equipment and more.”
The statement goes on to note “that the parking lots will be prepared to accommodate activities for children, including children with disabilities.”
The initiative has since expanded to other cities, including Haifa.
“We chose places that are suitable for mass shelters in order to expand the scope of protection,” Yair Zilberman, director of the Security and Emergency Services Department in the Haifa Municipality, told Channel 12.
“We located underground parking lots in neighborhoods where houses lack protection, and the Home Front Command approved the floors that could be used, usually the lower ones. As soon as we agreed on the places, we sent a formal letter to each of them to activate them. We purchased equipment and distributed it in advance in these places, Because in an emergency we know we won’t be able to do what we want,” Zilberman continued.
David Aharoni, director of the security and emergency department at the Tel Aviv Municipality, said that residents are encouraged to first use the private shelters in the buildings, and then if they are outside, public shelters maintained by the municipality or in shelters in schools and community centers.
“They have water and toilets, etc.,” he said. “Only after we have exhausted all these options should we go down to the parking lots. We are not encouraging you to run there. We have 500-600 municipal facilities, and we hope that will be enough,” he said.
