IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir was approving plans for continued action Sunday evening after Iran fired missiles toward Israel, with the military declaring that Tehran had made "a serious mistake."
"We are prepared for the possibility of further fire towards us," said the IDF.
Iran fired several missiles towards Israel at around 10 p.m., following Israel's earlier attack on Hezbollah targets in Beirut's Dahieh neighborhood on Sunday and threats from Tehran to respond.
Sirens were heard across large parts of northern Israel, including Haifa. The IDF said all of the missiles launched by Iran so far had been intercepted in mid-air.
After an assessment of the situation, the Home Front Command announced that the public was allowed to leave the protected areas, but stressed that civilians throughout Israel should continue to remain near the protected areas.
Earlier in the evening, the IDF said it had identified missiles fired from Iran towards Israeli territory and that defense systems were operating to intercept the threat. The Home Front Command also sent advance warnings directly to mobile phones in the relevant areas.
The military said the public should act responsibly and follow the instructions of the Home Front Command, which it said would save lives. Upon receiving an alert, civilians were instructed to enter a protected area and remain there until further notice.
Before the rocket launches, the IDF said that after an assessment of the situation, security forces were preparing for possible fire towards Israel in the coming hours, writes Ynet.
“The IDF has strengthened its defense systems and is on high alert and readiness for a range of scenarios, both defensive and offensive,” the military said. “IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir and IDF commanders are currently conducting situational assessments and closely monitoring developments.”
