Israel preparing underground bunker for Iranian attack – media

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s cabinet will reportedly retreat to a complex beneath Jerusalem in the event of a full-scale war
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Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s cabinet could operate from beneath Jerusalem in the event of a full-scale war

Israel’s Shin Bet security agency has prepared a bunker under Jerusalem where the country’s political leaders will work in the event of a full-scale attack on the Jewish state, Israeli journalist Ben Caspit reported on Saturday.

The newly-prepared “command and control bunker” is “intended for the conduct of wars by the political-security elite of the state,” Caspit wrote, adding that the subterranean facility is “connected to the pit” under the Kirya military base in Tel Aviv, and to “all the other bunkers” spread across Israel.

“It allows for a long stay and is immune to all kinds of weapons,” Caspit added, without citing any sources.

Israel is currently bracing for an attack by Iran, which Iranian officials have vowed to launch in retaliation for Israel’s alleged assassination of Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran earlier this week. US officials told Axios on Saturday that they expect the attack to begin on Monday, and that Lebanese Hezbollah forces could take part in revenge for Israel’s killing of their commander, Fuad Shukr, in Beirut on Tuesday.

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It is unclear what kind of military hardware Iran intends to use against Israel. However, Axios’ sources suggested that Tehran will likely follow the same playbook as in April, when it fired hundreds of missiles and drones at Israel in response to the Israeli bombing of its consulate in Syria. The barrage was mostly countered by Israel’s Iron Dome air defense systems, but a number of missiles reached their targets, dealing what Israel said was minimal damage to military installations.

Israel’s top military commanders have waged war from subterranean bunkers before.  The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) air campaign in Gaza in 2021 was orchestrated from the complex under the Kirya base, a nuclear-proof bunker dubbed the ‘Fortress of Zion’. 

In a report on the ‘Fortress of Zion’, the New York Times mentioned the existence of another bunker near Jerusalem “for Israel’s political leaders.” It is unclear whether Caspin and the Times were referring to the same facility.

Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant met with senior military and defense officials on Sunday to discuss how to “exact a price for attempted attacks from Iran and its proxies,” the Defense Ministry said in a statement.