Schools will be closed in Israel

The Israel Defense Forces Logistics Command, which is in charge of civil defense issues, decided to temporarily suspend the work of educational institutions throughout the country. Official instructions were released on Saturday evening.

Restrictions are in place until the evening of April 15. In the next two days, kindergartens, schools, universities and children’s camps should not operate in the country. Also prohibited mass gatherings of people with more than 1000 participants.

School holidays begin in Israel as Passover approaches. However, during the holidays, children’s camps operate on the basis of schools, trips and excursions are organized. All these events must be canceled in the coming days.

The statement said that decisions were made based on an assessment of the situation. Apparently, we are talking about responding to the threat of a possible missile attack from Iran, which the American military, in particular, has recently warned about. The agencies also report that the Israeli army is on high alert, and dozens of combat aircraft are constantly in the air.

US President Joe Biden interrupted his vacation in Delaware on Saturday and returned to Washington due to the worsening situation in the Middle East. The Pentagon reported that US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin spoke with Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant and assured him of Washington’s support in the face of possible attacks from Iran and pro-Iranian forces in the region.

In recent days they have been arriving messages citing sources in the US government that Iran may in the very near future strike military targets in Israel using dozens of drones and missiles. 100 drones and dozens of missiles.

The possible attack would be in retaliation for an attack allegedly carried out by Israel on the Iranian consulate in Damascus, which killed seven members of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), including senior officers.

At the funeral of the killed members of the IRGC, the former commander of the armed formation, General Mohsen Rezaei, said that the decision to take revenge on Israel had been made and would definitely be carried out. Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei also promised revenge.

The US State Department on Thursday issued a warning to Americans in Israel, advising them not to travel outside large cities, which are better protected by air defense systems. Diplomatic officials in the country are instructed to await orders as the situation changes.

Also, many countries of the world, including the USA, France, Poland, India and Russia, recommend that their citizens refrain from traveling to Israel in the near future.

Military experts interviewed by CBS believe that Israeli air defenses will have a difficult time repelling an attack of the expected scale. According to their forecasts, significant destruction is possible, which will lead to a sharp escalation of the conflict between Israel and Iran.

The head of the US Army Central Command, Michael Kurilla, arrived in Israel on Thursday. He meets with Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Galant and IDF high command. US President Joe Biden on Wednesday declared his readiness to defend Israel “with iron resolve.” On Friday, he reiterated these words and again called on Iran not to take actions that could lead to an escalation of the already tense situation in the Gaza Strip. At the same time, according to Biden, an Iranian attack on Israel is possible, and “sooner rather than later,” AP reports.

• On Saturday, there were also reports of unrest in the West Bank, which broke out after murders presumably Palestinian, a 14-year-old resident of one of the Israeli settlements. Following reports of the killing, residents of several Jewish settlements, including armed forces, carried out raids on neighboring Palestinian villages, with clashes reported and dozens of casualties reported, as well as Palestinian homes set on fire.
• Israeli authorities have vowed to find and punish those who killed 14-year-old Benjamin Ahimeir. At the same time, Defense Minister Yoav Gallant urged settlers not to resort to violence, noting that their actions interfere with the army and law enforcement officials.
• In Tel Aviv on Saturday evening, a demonstration is taking place again demanding the resignation of the Israeli Prime Minister and the speedy release of hostages held by the Hamas group (recognized as terrorist by the US and EU) in the Gaza Strip.