The IDF is preparing for a possible escalation in the Gaza Strip, IDF Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Aviv Kohavi said Sunday.
Even though no rockets were launched toward Israel on Sunday, a tense calm prevailed in the South following the weekend barrage.
Speaking with the heads of local councils in the Gaza Strip periphery, Kohavi expressed his appreciation of their “leadership and resilience.”
“In recent days, we are facing violent events at several locations on the Palestinian front, and we are acting to restore the stability and calm to the communities of the South,” he said.
“We are also preparing in full for the possibility of an escalation or expanding the campaign, and we are dealing with the necessary preparations,” he added.
Kohavi held a situational assessment in Gaza Division headquarters, where he ordered that soldiers be ready for a wide range of scenarios along the southern front.
Later on Sunday, Defense Minister Benny Gantz completed a round of consultations with defense officials, including Kohavi, and ordered continued readiness in the military and the home front in the event of continued escalation. He called for ongoing communication with the regional authorities in the Gaza Strip periphery.
Gantz cited remarks made by defense officials on Saturday, in which they said the escalation in Gaza was tied to the ongoing tension in Jerusalem. He reiterated Israel’s fundamental and universal respect for freedom of worship, as well as its commitment to doing whatever would be necessary to protect its citizens.
The IDF on Sunday said Kohavi had canceled his trip to the US, where he was scheduled to meet with top defense officials.
“After a security assessment, and to improve the preparations for possible developments, the chief of staff decided to cancel his planned trip to the US,” it said.
Instead, OC Military Intelligence Maj.-Gen Tamir Heiman and Maj.-Gen Tal Kelman, head of strategic planning and readiness for the Iranian threat, will travel to Washington for those meetings, the IDF said.
At least 38 rockets we fired from the Gaza Strip into Israel on Friday and Saturday. In response, IDF jets and tanks attacked Hamas targets in Gaza.