Ramat Gan opens all its shelters in response to the threat of Iranian attacks
"There are no specific instructions from the Home Front Command," he said, calling on residents to remain calm while staying prepared.
The city of Ramat Gan opened all of its public bomb shelters on Thursday after municipal officials assessed that the risk of Iranian missile attacks over the weekend had increased, Mayor Carmel Shama-Hacohen announced.
"An assessment of the situation showed that the risk of strikes from Iran this weekend has increased and is no longer negligible," Shama-Hacohen wrote in a Facebook post.
The mayor said the decision was taken as a precaution despite the financial cost, adding that he hoped the shelters would ultimately not be needed.
Shama-Hacohen also urged the managers of residential buildings to ensure that shared bomb shelters are clean, accessible and ready for use if required.
He stressed that the move was initiated by the municipality and was not prompted by new instructions from Israel's Home Front Command.
"There are no specific instructions from the Home Front Command," he said, calling on residents to remain calm while staying prepared. "We have the IDF and the Air Force to defend us, but also to strike far from here."
The precaution comes as the United States expands its military campaign against Iran, fueling concerns in Israel that Tehran could respond by launching missile attacks against Israeli territory.
Ramat Gan has previously been targeted during Iranian missile barrages. In March, an Iranian missile struck a residential building in the city, killing an elderly couple.