Israel raises military readiness amid Lebanon operations and fears of regional escalation

Report by Amal Shehadeh, English adaptation by Yasmine Jaroudi

The Israeli military continues to highlight what it describes as achievements in South Lebanon, saying it had completed operations in the town of Mansouri and destroyed at least 600 Hezbollah infrastructure sites inside the "yellow zone," including underground routes.

The military has also redeployed forces in the area, including the reserve Paratroopers Brigade, the 91st Division and Yahalom special engineering units.

However, alongside its claims of military gains, the Israeli army has continued to warn that it is preparing for the possibility of escalation across multiple fronts.

Against this backdrop, two squadrons of U.S. fighter jets arrived at Ovda Air Base in southern Israel, prompting two interpretations among Israelis. Some view the deployment as a sign of a potential security escalation following the deadlock in efforts to reach an understanding between Washington and Tehran. Others see it as part of measures to strengthen security coordination between Israel and the United States.

Amid the speculation, the Israeli military disclosed intensified preparations for a possible escalation with the Houthis following security assessments that concluded the situation involving Yemen and several other fronts could rapidly deteriorate.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu chose Tel Nof Air Base near Tel Aviv to warn of the possibility of an external attack against Israel ahead of the country’s legislative elections.

As a result, Israel’s state of alert remains at a high level, extending not only beyond the legislative elections scheduled for October 27 but potentially through the U.S. midterm elections.

The Israeli security establishment is preparing for several possible scenarios, including a major escalation by Iran, which it believes Tehran could pursue as it seeks to evade sanctions and mounting pressure on its government.

The scenario has prompted immediate measures by Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir, including raising military readiness, conducting command-level exercises, increasing oversight of sensitive systems, strengthening coordination between the military and security agencies, particularly the Mossad and Shin Bet, and expanding coordination with the U.S. military and foreign militaries operating in the region.