Military readiness: Israel raises alert as it closely watches developments in Iran

Report by Amal Shehadeh, English adaptation by Yasmine Jaroudi

Israel is closely monitoring developments in Iran without issuing public comment, after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu instructed ministers and senior security officials to refrain from making statements on the situation and centralized decision-making in his own hands.

While keeping Iran at the top of its security agenda, Israel has raised its level of alert amid concerns of potential retaliation by Tehran, particularly if Washington follows through on threats of direct intervention. 

At the same time, Israeli security and military officials assess that U.S. President Donald Trump is likely to favor negotiations with Iran rather than immediate military action.

An Israeli report said Iran still possesses at least 1,800 ballistic missiles and a large arsenal of drones, indicating that Israel's most recent strike did not eliminate Tehran's military capabilities. The assessment was presented during a security meeting held on Sunday evening by Israeli defense agencies.

According to the same report, the U.S. army is not yet prepared for an immediate military operation against Iran, with preparations for such an attack expected to take several weeks.

Israeli army Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir separately held a series of assessment meetings with senior commanders. Following those discussions, the army said it continues to maintain a high level of readiness for all scenarios.

The Israeli air force is completing final preparations to reinforce air defenses. It has signaled its readiness to respond to any attack with force exceeding that used in the most recent war. 

Military assessments cited by Israeli media suggest that Iran's defenses have been weakened after its radar systems and air defense missiles were disabled in a previous Israeli operation carried out in June.