Hundreds of thousands of Israelis in northern Israel do not have access to a bomb shelter or secure location, Israel’s Ynet news site reported on Wednesday.
According to the report, the Israel Builders Association released a study based on data from the Central Bureau of Statistics that found that as many as a million Israelis in the northern part of the country lack a bomb shelter or secure location near their homes in case of an attack.
The report comes amid heightened tensions between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon, which launched a rocket attack against an Israel Defense Forces’ vehicle on Sunday.
The government approved an NIS 5 billion ($1.4 billion) security plan a year ago, authored by then-defense minister Avigdor Lieberman, but the plan was eventually canceled. Local leaders are calling on the government to implement the fortification program, according to the report.
On Monday, Lieberman criticized the cancellation of the plan, saying it was “madness” and equivalent to “abandoning the civilians.”
