Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz requested an extension of the state of emergency for the home front, which is due to expire on 20 October, amid security assessments that the likelihood of attacks targeting civilians has increased. Government Secretary Yossi Fuchs referred the proposal to ministers on Thursday for an urgent vote by telephone, according to Yedioth Ahronoth.
Security agencies classify the risk of attacks as high
The document attached to the proposal showed that security agencies still classify the likelihood of attacks on civilians as “high”. It said that a decision on whether another extension is needed would be subject to an updated security assessment, to be conducted before the proposed new deadline expires.
Extending the state of emergency requires approval from the Knesset’s Foreign Affairs and Defence Committee. The Defence Ministry’s legal adviser, Mor Yamin Bartal, concluded that there was no legal obstacle to approving the proposal, although the continued extension of the state of emergency since February could raise legal concerns.
Repeated extensions of the state of emergency since February
Israel declared a state of emergency for the home front on 28 February, coinciding with the start of its joint war with the United States against Iran. The government has extended the measures several times, most recently on 6 October, setting them to remain in effect until 20 October. The state of emergency grants the Home Front Command additional powers allowing it to issue emergency instructions to civilians.
Those powers include imposing restrictions on educational activities and public gatherings, although no such restrictions are currently in effect. Approval of the proposal would keep the state of emergency in force during the Knesset elections scheduled for 27 October, while the Home Front Command would retain the power to impose new restrictions if the security situation deteriorated.
Earlier media reports cited Israeli expectations that Iran could launch attacks during the elections in an effort to disrupt them and cause chaos in the country.
