As Americans vote on Election Day, Israelis on high alert for possible new Iranian attack

Israel Defense Forces has raised its level of alert and readiness in preparation for a possible new Iranian assault on Israel, military sources told Walla News on Monday.

Measures taken include daily situation assessments by the top brass in the military’s general staff, particularly the IDF Home Front Command, which is responsible for determining the alert level in public institutions like schools.

For now, the IDF has maintained routine conditions across the country, except for some areas in northern Israel that are subject to daily rocket and drone attacks by Hezbollah.

Sources also told Walla that the intelligence community has intensified intel gathering in a bid to gain advance warnings in case Iran prepares for an imminent attack.

In the previous two Iranian attacks in April and October, the IDF alerted the Israeli public several hours before the strikes, enabling the public to take shelter in time.

After the last Iranian assault, the IDF carried out a large-scale wave of airstrikes across Iran that destroyed the country’s air defenses and severely hampered the regime’s ballistic missile production capabilities.

The regime at first appeared to downplay the Israeli strikes, before increasingly vowing revenge. On Monday, Iranian and Arab officials told The Wall Street Journal the Iranian regime is planning “a strong and complex” response against Israel, possibly including even heavier missiles than last time.

Farzin Nadimi, a defense analyst and senior fellow at the Washington Institute, believes the new attack could come Tuesday evening, as polls close in the U.S. presidential elections.

“This time the regime will likely use up to 400 missiles if not more, aiming at disabling major Israeli airbases and air defense sites, but also damaging defense industries in the Haifa area,” Nadimi wrote on 𝕏.

“While deployment of IRGC's top of the line Khoramshahr-4 [missiles] is very likely this time alongside Fattah, Kheibarshekan and Emad, I believe one main reason ballistic missile movements have been taking place in Iraq is Iranian realization that its missiles do not provide sufficient accuracy from long ranges so they need to fire them from significantly closer, namely Iraq and Syria, using proven types such as Zolfaghar.”

Nadimi also estimates that Iran’s regular army could take part in an attack by using “Arash” long-range suicide drones.

The Walla report reiterated statements made by IDF Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Herzi Halevi that the Air Force remains on the highest alert level to deal with the potential attack. In addition, “hundreds of American soldiers” are now stationed in Israel to operate the THAAD missile defense system to assist Israeli air defenses.

IDF sources emphasized that “Despite various reports in foreign media, there is no confirmed information about the exact timing of a response,” adding that the Iranian regime is estimated to be still weighing its options.