Israeli premier instructs ministers to refrain from security-related statements amid escalating tensions

JERUSALEM

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu instructed on Monday his government ministers to refrain from making public statements related to security issues.

This move comes amid growing expectations in Israel of potential retaliatory attacks from Iran and the Lebanese group Hezbollah in response to the assassinations of senior figures, including political leader of the Palestinian Hamas group Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran and Hezbollah commander Fouad Shukr in Beirut.

According to the Israeli Broadcasting Authority, KAN, Netanyahu “warned his ministers against discussing security matters in the coming days, emphasizing the “critical nature” of the situation.

The broadcaster said that Israel is preparing for a broader Iranian attack, potentially more extensive than the drone assault in April, which saw Israel targeted by dozens of missiles and drones.

“New assessments within Israel suggest that Iran remains determined to launch this attack despite recent indications that it might have backed down due to political pressures,” KAN added.

The current assessments suggest that Iran has planned a large-scale attack on critical strategic points within Israel, it said, and noted: "The exact timing of this Iranian attack remains unknown, but given the ongoing exchanges of threats between Iran and Israel, the coming days are expected to be highly tense.”

Flouting a UN Security Council resolution demanding an immediate cease-fire, Israel has faced international condemnation amid its continued brutal offensive on Gaza since an Oct. 7, 2023 attack by the Palestinian resistance group Hamas.

The Israeli onslaught has since killed nearly 39,800 victims, mostly women and children, and injured over 92,000 others, according to local health authorities.

More than 10 months into the Israeli onslaught, vast tracts of Gaza lie in ruins amid a crippling blockade of food, clean water, and medicine.

Israel is accused of genocide at the International Court of Justice, which ordered it to immediately halt its military operation in the southern city of Rafah, where more than 1 million Palestinians had sought refuge from the war before it was invaded on May 6.

*Writing by Mohammad Sio