The Engineering and Construction Department of the Ministry of Defense, in collaboration with the IDF's Northern and Home Front Commands, has begun a significant expansion in the implementation of the national defense plan on the northern border.
The plan, named Northern Shield, will be expanded to 17 localities within a kilometer of the Lebanese border. Eight construction companies are working in the area, building around 1,240 shelters simultaneously. Next month, the construction of dozens more will start, joining hundreds already completed and delivered to residents.
In Rosh Hanikra, located in the Mateh Asher Regional Council area, construction is underway on 181 out of 196 shelters. In Netua, part of the Ma'ale Yosef Regional Council, 52 out of 56 shelters are being built.
Erez Cohen, Deputy Director General and Head of Engineering and Construction at the Ministry of Defense, stated, "Throughout the entire war, we continued building shelters in border-adjacent communities and prepared with contractors to accelerate work as soon as the security situation allowed. Our target is to conduct the maximum number of projects simultaneously. In April, we will expand the project to communities 1-5 km away from the border, at a scope of 1.2 billion shekels."
Colonel Dr. Yaniv Wolfer, head of the Defense Department at the Home Front Command, summed up: "Expanding operations in border communities is a significant achievement, and we are working closely with local authorities and residents to promote the project efficiently. In the next stage, we will extend the work to additional communities, committed to further strengthening the resilience and security of northern residents."