Nation on alert for possible revenge strikes from Iranian or Hezbollah sources as GPS anomalies in central Israel perplex motorists and military

In a sharp escalation of military preparedness based on worrying intelligence warnings, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) announced a sweeping halt to home leave for all combat personnel and a major call-up of reserves. This decision, a stark indicator of the escalating tension with Iran, comes in the wake of a deadly strike on an Iranian consular building in Damascus earlier this week.

With good reason, Tehran has pointed fingers at Israel for the attack, which resulted in the death of Iran’s top Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) general in Syria, his deputy, and five other officers. The IRGC, recognized by the U.S. as a terror organization, has received vows of vengeance from Iran against Israel for the incident. The US denied involvement in the attack.

“The IDF is at war and the issue of the deployment of forces is constantly reviewed as needed,” a statement from the IDF articulated, underscoring the gravity of the current situation.

The ratcheting up of military measures didn’t stop with the cancellation of leaves. Following a critical assessment, the IDF has been fortifying air defenses and mobilizing reservists. Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, in statements made earlier, highlighted Israel’s heightened state of readiness in anticipation of threats emanating from various quarters of the Middle East.

Head of the IDF’s Military Intelligence, Aharon Haliva, warned that Israel is facing “complex days” ahead, warning that he was “not sure that the worst is behind us.” Haliva is widely blamed for a major role in the catastrophic failures preceding the October 7 surprise attacks and the slow Israeli military response to them.

Gallant emphasized the expansion of operations against Hezbollah and other entities that pose a threat to Israel, reaffirming the nation’s stance on preemptively striking its adversaries across the region.

Both Iran and Hezbollah have declared that Israel will face consequences for its actions, adding layers of complexity and tension to an already volatile regional situation. There have been credible intelligence warning of incoming threats of attacks either from Iranian proxies or even from Iran itself, with reports of unusual activity in Iran’s missile bases in recent days.

Iranian or Hezbollah attacks on Israeli civilian or military targets could ignite a devastating regional war.

Weird GPS Disruptions Hit Central Israel

Parallel to these military developments, residents of central Israel have been grappling with a peculiar technological disturbance: widespread malfunctions of navigation systems.

Platforms like Google Maps and Waze have been erroneously displaying locations in Beirut for users in Tel Aviv and its environs. This navigational hiccup, if that’s what it is, has not only perplexed motorists but also impacted delivery and transport services, leading to delays and confusion. But it raised concerns about high altitude meddling in air and ground defenses.

While GPS disruptions have periodically affected northern Israel and areas near Gaza, their novel occurrence in central Israel marks a concerning extension of the issue. The anomalies have previously been attributed to the IDF’s jamming of GPS signals but the IDF has not commented on the cause of the disruptions in this case and does not appear to have a ready explanation.