The airspace near the northern and southern borders has been closed to civilian flights. The Airports Authority informed civilian pilots that flying is prohibited within 6 km of the borders of Syria, Lebanon, and the Gaza Strip. The ban will remain in effect until Sunday at 7:30 PM.
The IDF has deployed additional Iron Dome batteries across the country following warnings received by the security apparatus ahead of the fourth and last Friday of Ramadan, which coincides with Iran’s Al-Quds Day (Jerusalem Day). An unusual number of batteries are pointed at Lebanon and Syria.
More than two thousand police officers are deployed in the Jerusalem envelope Arab villages east of the city and the alleys of the Old City.
Israel’s cyber security is on high alert for Iranian attacks against institutions and individuals. In recent days there has been an increase in the number of attacks compared to recent years. Cyber security experts recommend that Israelis remain suspicious of every link or message they receive by e-mail or as an SMS on their mobile phones.
Kan 11 News cited sources close to Hamas in Gaza who say that despite the recent quiet, the terrorist factions inside the Strip are on very high alert and are prepared to escalate against Israel in the near future. According to the same sources, Hamas fears that Israel is trying to numb the area and then deliver a surprise pre-emptive strike on the Gaza Strip, and therefore senior Hamas officials have greatly reduced their movements and public appearances.
The head of the political bureau of Hamas, Ismail Haniyeh, on Thursday, called to strengthen the Arab presence in Al-Aqsa Mosque as part of the Jihad struggle. In a speech he delivered as part of the “Conference for Jerusalem” in Beirut, Haniyeh said that the internal crisis in Israel, along with the loosening of the American grip on the Middle East, are strengthening the axis of resistance comprised of Iran, Syria, and Hezbollah.
Hezbollah Secretary General Hassan Nasrallah said at the same conference that his partners should focus on supporting “the resistance in the West Bank and all of Palestine.”
Al-Quds reported that IDF forces at dawn on Friday launched a campaign of arrests in eastern Jerusalem and Judea and Samaria. According to the online news outlet, the forces arrested Muhammad Obeidat after raiding his home in Abu Dis, eastern Jerusalem. Meanwhile, young Mahmoud Ayyad of Bethlehem was arrested at his relatives’ home in Abu Dis. The forces also arrested Adam Al-Fakhouri, 13, from Al-Tur. Khalil Dweikat, a resident of the Balata al-Balad refugee camp in Shechem, was arrested after his home was raided. Muhammad Omar Al-Barghouti and Omar Asif Al-Barghouti were arrested after their homes were raided and searched in Kober village, northwest of Ramallah and Al-Bireh. Two brothers, Nidal and Ayoub Anfiat, were arrested on the Zabada Bridge, west of the town of Ya`bad in Jenin, and their family’s vehicle for the family was confiscated.
In the town of Qabatiya, south of Jenin, the IDF force was fired upon.
