Mayors have battery-backed sirens ready, first-responders got satellite phones and old-fashioned transistor radios could be an information lifeline if people need to move into shelters.
Faced with the heightened risk of attacks from Iran or its proxies in the region, Israel is diversifying and fortifying its power supplies. Maintaining continuous power is particularly important for the economy, which is so reliant on technology that the country has earned the nickname “Start-Up Nation.”
While there are few signs of panic — the nation already withstood a barrage of missiles and drones from Iran in April and has endured regular attacks from its proxies to the north and south for months — authorities are preparing for the worst, including stockpiling alternative fuels for power plants should regular supplies be disrupted.
“We purchased infinite quantities,” said Tamar Fekler, vice president for operations, logistics and security at the Israel Electric Corporation, the largest supplier of electrical power in the country.
Since the Oct. 7 surprise attack on Israel by Hamas, the Iranian-backed militant group designated a terrorist organization by the US, the IEC has built on-site defenses at its power plants, Fekler said.
Offshore gas rigs have been at risk of attacks from Hezbollah, the Lebanese militia also backed by Iran and also deemed a terrorist group by the US. In the event of an all-out war in the north, Israel would decide on rig shutdowns on a case-by-case basis, making it unlikely for a complete closure to take place quickly, an Israeli official familiar with the matter said.
Even a short-lived power outage could make it difficult to keep the Israeli public up to date with events. That prompted authorities to fit back-up diesel generators or lithium batteries to more than half of the cellular telephone masts in northern Israel, including in the port city of Haifa. In the commercial capital Tel Aviv, dozens of masts are plugged into the generators of nearby businesses or municipal facilities.
Authorities see added caution as justified, as tensions run high with Iran and its allies. A deadly strike near a Gaza school on Saturday, where Israel said a Hamas command center was located, drew international criticism for the casualties it caused.
On Sunday, Hamas called on mediators to come up with an implementation plan for a cease-fire based on earlier talks rather than begin a new round of negotiations with Israel. Hamas said this should be based on a three-stage plan endorsed by the United Nations and the Biden administration.
Israel has said it would send a delegation to cease-fire negotiations starting on Aug. 15.
Iran, meantime, has reiterated its pledge to avenge the recent death of Hamas political chief Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran. The Islamic Republic’s acting Foreign Minister Ali Bagheri Kani said early Sunday that the response to Israel will be “legitimate and resolute.” Israel neither acknowledged nor denied responsibility in Haniyeh’s killing.
Hezbollah has also vowed to retaliate for Israel’s assassination of a senior commander of the militant group last month. It is thought to possess as many as 150,000 drones and missiles including long-range weapons.
While Iran or Hezbollah hasn’t offered indication as to where they might choose to target if they conduct a direct attack, Israel’s defensive focus has been on vital infrastructure and communications.
“Cellular telephony is critical in an emergency situation,” said Inbal Mashash, director-general of the Communications Ministry. The authority is trying to extend mobile operations to as much as 24 hours after a power outage, up from two hours normally, she said.
As a back up, cabinet ministers, city officials and emergency coordinators have been provided with satellite phones. SpaceX’s Starlink will soon also be available to enable Internet connectivity in municipalities, Mashash said.
So far in the 10-month-old war, Israelis have usually had to spend just a few minutes in fortified rooms or public shelters as the country’s air defenses shot down most of the rockets launched from Gaza or Lebanon.
In the event of a heavy and sustained attack from Iran or its proxies though, those defenses may need to be focused on protecting strategic facilities, leaving civilians increasingly dependent on shelters whose thick walls can limit normal mobile signals.
Some municipalities have made wireless connections available in shelters, Mashash said. Her ministry has also started using AM radio channels, since they are more effective in shelters, and has been distributing transistor radios.
