Senior ministers were alerted via special emergency secure communication lines ahead of the Israel-U.S. strike on Iran. They were instructed to remain available throughout the Shabbat in case they needed to receive updates or be urgently summoned.
Ministers were also instructed not to give interviews or comment publicly on the possibility of a strike. The name of the operation is “Shield of Judah.”
Opposition leader Yair Lapid spoke minutes after the emergency alert announcing the strike and said, “I want to remind all of us that the people of Israel are strong, the IDF and the Air Force are strong, and the strongest power in the world stands with us. At moments like these, we stand together and win together. There is no coalition and opposition, there is only one people and one IDF, and we all stand behind it.”
Yisrael Beytenu chairman Avigdor Liberman linked the developments to the upcoming Purim holiday, whose celebrations are expected to be postponed due to the security situation. “We overcame Haman, we will overcome Khamenei as well,” he said.
The remarks came as Israel and the United States carried out strikes on Iran, sharply escalating tensions across the region.
In a statement, Transportation Minister Miri Regev said that “in light of the security developments, the transportation minister instructed the director general of the Civil Aviation Authority to close the airspace of the State of Israel to civilian flights. The safety and security of passengers are the top priority.”