Israel has stepped up its home front defence measures against possible retaliatory attacks amid continued speculation about an Israeli military strike against Iran's nuclear sites.
As well as the deployment of active defence systems against incoming missiles, the distribution of gas masks, provision of bomb shelters and the testing of public information systems have accelerated.
In recent months, there has been an increase in demand for gas masks and inquiries about bomb shelters in parallel with the rising rhetoric emanating from the prime minister's office. But many citizens remain sceptical: participation in civil defence drills, for example, remains low.
Danny Avram, the owner of a bomb shelter construction and renovation firm, Ani Mugan ("I Am Protected"), said inquiries had increased tenfold over the past three weeks, although actual orders of work had only doubled. "The last few weeks have been very intense," he said. "There has been more talk, and the possibility has seemed more realistic to people. This happens every time something significant happens in the news. Bad news is good for business."
The distribution of gas masks to civilians has risen month by month since the spring. According to the Israeli Defence Forces (IDF), 17,573 kits were distributed in April, 38,775 in May, 41,242 in June and around 70,000 in July. But at least 40% of the 7.8 million population is still without a "personal protection kit". Yoav Cohen, of the military equipment firm Hagor, said the government was short of 3m gas masks, which he said would take months to manufacture.
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