Northern Israel is preparing for a possible Hezbollah response to the elimination of the commander of its elite Radwan Force in Beirut on Wednesday.
Following a situational assessment by the IDF Northern Command, the Nahariya Municipality announced on Thursday the revocation of all exemptions allowing mass events in the city, despite the Home Front Command guidelines to the public remaining unchanged.
The IDF wrote in a statement: "Following the IDF strike in Beirut yesterday (Wednesday), the IDF continues to conduct ongoing situational assessments in the northern sector. Accordingly, events that had previously been exempted from the Home Front Command’s defensive guidelines in the northern border area have been canceled due to the possibility of enemy fire by the Hezbollah terrorist organization toward the area."
The IDF added that it urges the public to remain vigilant and alert.
As a result of the decision, the Night Market event scheduled for this evening in the city was canceled. Additionally, the Victory in Europe Day event scheduled for Friday will not be held. The municipality added that it will update residents as needed, depending on the security developments.
At the same time, the Upper Galilee Regional Council also announced the cancellation of an event at the Hula Nature Reserve following a request by the security forces to refrain from holding large gatherings in the area.
Residents of the Conflict Line zone along the border received notifications requesting that they strictly adhere to Home Front Command guidelines. The notifications instructed residents to refrain from holding non-essential large gatherings, as part of the high state of alert in the area after the strike in Lebanon.
The IDF emphasized that, at this time, there is no change to the Home Front Command’s guidelines. Should there be any change, the IDF will update the public and the relevant authorities in an orderly manner.
The guidelines in the Conflict Line zone continue to limit gatherings to 200 people in open areas and 600 in buildings.
The major events that were canceled in Nahariya had only been permitted in the first place due to special exemptions that were granted, and now, with the heightened state of alert, it has been decided to revoke those exemptions. No new instructions have been issued at this stage for areas located south of Nahariya.