As tensions with Iran increase, GPS is being disrupted throughout a large area of Israel in order to interfere with drones and missiles.
The tensions arose from an incident on Monday, where a strike on Iran's consulate building in Syria resulted in the deaths of 13 individuals, including Brigadier General Mohammad Reza Zahedi, an important figure in the Quds force, the overseas branch of Iran's elite Republican Guards.
While Israel is suspected to be behind the strike, it has not officially acknowledged its involvement.
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Iranian leaders in Tehran labelled the targeting of a diplomatic mission as unprecedented and promised a harsh response. Iran's Revolutionary Guard commander said "no threat will go unanswered" for strike that killed top generals.
In response, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) cancelled leaves for soldiers serving in combat units.
“In accordance with the situational assessment, it has been decided that leave will be temporarily paused for all IDF (Israel Defense Forces) combat units. The IDF is at war and the deployment of forces is under continuous assessment according to requirements,” the military said in a statement.
Israeli authorities are on alert, anticipating an imminent response from Iran, possibly as early as Friday, which is Quds Day or Jerusalem Day - the last Friday in the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.
Iran’s foreign minister, Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, said: “We consider this aggression to have violated all diplomatic norms and international treaties. Benjamin Netanyahu has completely lost his mental balance due to the successive failures in Gaza and his failure to achieve his Zionist goals.”
On Thursday, disruptions to GPS systems were observed in central parts of Israel, a defensive tactic aimed at disrupting weapons reliant on GPS for location settings. Israeli citizens reported being unable to use location-based app services in major cities like Tel Aviv and Jerusalem far from active combat zones.
While Israel has not officially confirmed its involvement, the incident has the potential to further destabilise the already volatile region where Israel’s war on Gaza has killed at least 33,037 Palestinians and wounded 75,668 since October 7. The death toll in Israel from Hamas’s October 7 attack stands at 1,139, with dozens still held captive.
