An underground bunker in Jerusalem where senior leaders can remain for an extended period during a war has been prepared by the Shin Bet security service and is fully operational, the Walla news site reported on Sunday amid fear of attacks on Israel from Hezbollah and Iran.
The bunker can sustain hits from a range of existing weaponry, has command and control capabilities, and is connected to the Defense Ministry headquarters in Tel Aviv, the report said.
The bunker, which is also known as the National Management Center, has not been used in the past 10 months of Israel’s war in Gaza.
It has, however, been prepared now as Israel braces for possible attacks from Iran and Hezbollah as tensions in the Middle East continue to escalate.
Iran, its Lebanese ally Hezbollah, and the Palestinian Islamist terror group Hamas blame Israel for a blast that killed Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran last week. His assassination came just hours after a strike claimed by Israel killed Hezbollah’s military chief, Fuad Shukr, on Tuesday evening near Beirut. Israel has claimed responsibility for killing Shukr but has not officially commented on Haniyeh, whose death Hamas, Iran and their allies have blamed on Israel.
Both Iran and Hezbollah have vowed revenge for the killings, which came amid already explosive tensions against the background of Israel’s ongoing war with Hamas in the Gaza Strip and Hezbollah attacks on northern Israel that the Iran-backed terror group says are in support of Gaza.
As things stand, Home Front Command instructions to the Israeli public are unchanged, but if something changes, the IDF has stressed, the public will immediately be told.
The National Management Center was built in the Jerusalem Hills at the cost of billions of shekels following the end of the Second Lebanon War in 2006, although its exact location and depth are unknown, according to Ynet. It can hold hundreds of people and is intended for the government as well as other essential civil bodies.
According to Ynet, the National Management Center has not been deemed necessary in the war thus far. However, preparing it for use at this time may be an indication of the severity of the threat from Iran and Hezbollah, especially considering it was not used during Iran’s attack on Israel in April when it launched over 300 missiles and drones at Israel, the vast majority of which were intercepted by Israel and its allies.
The US is scrambling to revive a regional coalition that succeeded in almost entirely thwarting the previous direct Iranian attack on Israel, reports said, while Israeli officials concede that this time around there may be damage and casualties.
The last time the bunker is known to have been used was in 2018 when Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered a series of high-level security cabinet meetings to be held there, likely to prevent leaks to the media.
Regional tensions have spiraled dangerously since October 7 when Hamas led a devastating cross-border attack on Israel in which some 1,200 people were murdered and 251 hostages taken. Israel responded with a military campaign to destroy Hamas and free the hostages.
The day after the Hamas assault, Hezbollah began attacking along Israel’s northern border with Lebanon. As Israel and the terror group have traded fire, the violence has increased with Hezbollah carrying out nearly daily attacks, firing dozens of rockets at the north on Saturday.