Earlier this week, Israel Police arrested three Bat Yam residents believed to have blocked people from entering public shelters during Iranian aerial attacks.
In one case, a suspect is alleged to have attacked a woman for attempting to enter a protected space with her dog.
An official from the Home Front Command recently told The Jerusalem Post it is illegal to block people from entering a public shelter, even with a pet.
In one case, a resident allegedly attacked a resident who entered with her dog, and even kicked her out of the shelter.
In another case, a resident blocked entry to a woman with her two 80-year-old parents.
Police crack down on shelter blocking
A police official told N12, "This is a violation of the law, and we receive many complaints every day from Israelis who say they have been prevented from entering shelters. From now on, anyone who behaves in this way will be dealt with quickly and decisively."
Bat Yam saw one of the most devastating hits of the 12-day war between Israel and Iran. A senior IDF Home Front Command official said on Sunday that the Iranian ballistic missile strike was the worst civilian strike of the war, involving a large amount of destruction and a warhead containing hundreds of kilograms of explosives.
Israel Police also previously arrested a resident of the South after he blocked a disabled man from accessing a shelter during an attack.
Yonah Jeremy Bob contributed to this report.