Police on high alert (Archive photo)
צילום: תומריקו
Concrete terror warnings up
Security authorities dealing with 78 terror warnings, including 16 concrete alerts; three specific terrorism warnings added in past 24 hours; police boost deployment across country, armed guards to be deployed at all synagogues. Hotels in north near capacity
Highest terror alert declared: While millions of Israelis will attend the Passover Seder Wednesday evening, thousands of soldiers will be deployed across the country for fear of terror attacks.
Security will be boosted around synagogues as well, with at least one armed guard placed at every synagogue. Police officials also briefed hotel officials and requested that security be boosted for the holiday.
Pesach is here (Photo: API)
Starting Wednesday morning, thousands of police officers, Border Guard police, and volunteers hit the streets and patrolled crowd concentrations.
At this time, security authorities are contending with 78 warnings regarding plans to carry out terror attacks, including 16 concrete warnings. Most warnings are related to Islamic Jihad terrorists in the northern West Bank. The number of concrete alerts stood at 13 yesterday, but three new ones were added since that time.
The IDF has been operating against Islamic Jihad cells in the West Bank in recent weeks and has also targeted the cell behind the recent suicide bombing near Kedumim that killed four Israelis. Overnight, troops uncovered an explosives lab near Jenin.
While police deployment was boosted along the Green Line and around Jerusalem, the closure imposed on the West Bank and Gaza will continue at least until the end of the holiday. In addition to the terror warnings, authorities are concerned about threats by Palestinian terror group to avenge the killing of Palestinians in Gaza in recent days.
Meanwhile, capacity at most hotels and guest houses in the north of the country is expected to top 90 percent, with the trend of growing capacity rates in recent years continuing.
Authorities are also expecting hundreds of thousands of Israelis to hit tourist sites across the country.
Efrat Weiss, Hagai Einav, and Anat Barshkovsky contributed to the story
