Amid fears of Iranian attack, IDF says no need to ‘buy generators, stock food, get cash’
With public on edge as Tehran vows retaliation for deadly Syria strike, stores note spike in purchases of transistor radios, generators, longer-than-usual supermarket queues
With the Israel Defense Forces on high alert for a potential Iranian response to Israel’s alleged assassination of Iran’s top Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps commander in Syria, the military stressed on Thursday that there was so far no change in instructions for civilians, as stores noted a bump in sales of essential wartime supplies.
The army’s effort to calm the public came after the IDF’s Military Intelligence Directorate chief Maj. Gen. Aharon Haliva said in a closed-door meeting that “it is not certain that the worst is behind us, and we have complex days ahead of us.”
IDF Spokesman Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari said in a post on X that civilians do not need to “buy generators, stock up on food and withdraw money from ATMs.”
“The instructions of the Home Front Command remained unchanged,” he said.
“As we have done until today, we will immediately update on any change, in an official and orderly manner,” Hagari added.
In his evening press conference, Hagari said Haliva’s remarks did not necessarily relate to the current situation vis-a-vis Iran, but came “from a place that tells Military Intelligence officials: ‘Take a broad look.'”
“This is what is expected of us in the organization. To look and to identify. This is how this matter should be treated. If there is something on which to inform the public concretely, we will update it,” Hagari said.
Israelis stock up for disaster
Some stores reported a bump in purchases Thursday of essential supplies, transistor radios and electricity generators, though they were not expecting shortages.
Rami Levi, the owner of the Rami Levi chain of supermarkets, said in a statement that Thursday’s sales were “higher than normal days, but it is not clear how much of the increase is due to the approach of Passover or the fact that sales are always higher toward the end of the week, and how much is due to panic over the security situation.”
“In any case, there is no surge, and that’s good. People can relax. There are no shortages expected,” he said.
Eitan Yochananof, the owner of the Yochananof chain, also noted a 300 percent rise in mineral water sales, but added that “there is no panic in particular.”
An official from an electricity chain told The Marker daily they had sold “thousands of generators” from the start of the day.
“Every time we brought more stock of generators to stores, they sold out quickly,” he said, explaining customers feared electricity outages in the case of a targeted missile attack on the electricity network.
Furthermore, several municipalities released statements on Thursday to their residents, calling on them to be prepared for any scenario.
The Federation for Local Authorities in Israel said that it had finalized the purchase of 600 walkie-talkies for emergencies.
“I call on all residents throughout the country to obey the instructions of the Home Front Command and their local authority, and this is how we will deal with any scenario that may come,” said federation chair Haim Bibas in a statement.
A question of location
Contributing to the sense that security forces were taking the threat of an Iranian strike very seriously was the military’s acknowledgment that it had begun disrupting GPS signals in central Israel as part of efforts to “neutralize some threats.”
Residents of the center widely reported experiencing difficulties with location services throughout the day.
Hagari said: “We are aware that these disruptions cause inconveniences, but it is a vital and necessary tool in our defensive capabilities.”
GPS disruptions were previously widely reported throughout the war in northern Israel or areas close to Gaza, but have been less common in central Israel. Residents reported disruptions to navigation apps like Google Maps and Waze, with many Tel Aviv motorists being shown that they were in Lebanon’s Beirut.
The IDF recommended that Israelis manually set their location on the Home Front Command app to receive appropriate rocket alerts.
Amid the heightened alert, the IDF has called up reservists to bolster its air defense array. It has also halted home leave for all combat troops over the weekend, as Friday is assessed to be a sensitive day amid Ramadan.
Possible scenarios that the IDF is preparing for include missile and drone attacks by Iran-backed groups in Lebanon, Syria, Iraq and Yemen — all of which have occurred already amid the ongoing Gaza war — and ballistic missile attacks directly from Iran, a situation that Israel has not yet faced.
Two Iranian officials indicated to Reuters Thursday that Tehran will not veer from the approach it has adopted since October of avoiding direct conflict with Israel and the United States, while simultaneously backing allies who have hit Israel, US troops and Red Sea shipping in attacks they say aim to support Palestinians in Gaza amid the ongoing war.
In his opening remarks at a security cabinet meeting, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Thursday: “Iran has been acting against us for years — directly and via proxies. And, therefore, Israel acts against Iran and its proxies — defensively and offensively.”
Netanyahu added: “We will know how to defend ourselves, and we will act according to the simple principle: that those who harm us or plan to harm us, we will harm.”
While Israel has not claimed responsibility for Monday’s attack, which killed Iran’s top IRGC general Mohammad Reza Zahedi in Syria along with his deputy and five other IRGC officers, Tehran has blamed Jerusalem and vowed revenge. The IRGC is a US-designated terror group.
Zahedi was reportedly responsible for the IRGC’s operations in Syria and Lebanon, for Iranian militias there, and for ties with Hezbollah, and was thus the most senior commander of Iranian forces in the two countries.
Agencies contributed to this report.
The Times of Israel Community.