TEL AVIV — Several Israeli cities reopened municipal bomb shelters that had been closed since the June 17 ceasefire. The Israel Defense Forces moved from high alert to maximum readiness during the week of July 24, 2026, as Iran threatened retaliation if U.S. strikes continued.

Tehran announced that it would retaliate against Israel if the United States expands its strikes on Iran. This warning followed the US Central Command's 13th consecutive night of strikes on Iran on the night of July 23, 2026. On the morning of July 24, 2026, Iran launched drones at US military targets in Bahrain, Kuwait, and Jordan.

Defense Minister Israel Katz addressed the tensions with a warning. "If Iran attacks Israel, it will suffer a crushing blow," Katz stated. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated on July 24, 2026, that he would travel to the United States on July 27, 2026, to meet with US President Donald Trump. The municipalities of Ramat Gan and Karmiel opened all of their public shelters in anticipation of incoming fire from Iran.

The economic impact of the regional instability was visible in global markets. Brent crude settled above $100 a barrel on July 23, 2026. The current alert status follows a period of intense conflict in which at least 28 Israelis were killed and more than 4,000 were injured during the last round of fighting with Iran. Ten of the two dozen Israeli civilians killed in Iranian strikes since February were killed by cluster submunitions.

Historical precedents point to the potential danger to civilian populations. A June 2025 Iranian missile strike on an apartment building in Beersheba killed four people sheltering in their safe rooms and injured at least 22 others. Michael Katz, an 82-year-old resident of Haifa, died from wounds sustained in an April 5 missile strike on his apartment building. Israel signed a separate ceasefire with Lebanon on June 26, 2026, but the threat from Iran remains active.

Gideon Alon commented on the limited options available to the public. "I am far from a pacifist. We need to end this now, and it is obvious they don’t want peace, so ma la’asot — what can you do?" Alon said.

The Israel Defense Forces raised its readiness level to maximum readiness on July 20, 2026, following a security assessment by the Home Front Command that identified a non-negligible risk of Iranian missile attacks. The U.S. Central Command reported 13 consecutive nights of strikes on Iran starting July 11, 2026, marking the longest sustained campaign of aerial attacks since 2020.