Israel raises alert, closes airspace after US strikes on Iranian nuclear sites

Israel announced today a heightened state of alert and imposed tighter restrictions across cities and towns following the US airstrikes on three nuclear facilities in Iran.

According to a government statement, there have been changes in the civil defence policy. The Minister of Defence, following a security assessment, ordered an immediate shift in internal protection measures effective from today.

The statement clarified that the country has moved to essential-activity-only status. This includes a complete suspension of all educational activities, a ban on all forms of public gatherings, and restrictions on access to workplaces, with exceptions made only for vital sectors such as healthcare, security, electricity and water.

As part of precautionary measures, the Israeli Airports Authority announced this morning the closure of Israeli airspace until further notice “due to recent developments” following the overnight US bombardment of Iran.

In a statement, the authority confirmed that Israeli airspace was closed to all inbound and outbound flights, adding that land border crossings with Egypt and Jordan continue to operate normally.

Israel had reopened its airspace two days ago to facilitate the return of Israeli nationals stranded abroad.