Sources reported on Sunday that this heightened alert came after a phone call between Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, during which they discussed the possibility of US intervention in Iran.
Earlier, a US official told Axios that Rubio had a telephone conversation with Netanyahu on Saturday, without disclosing further details about the content of the talks.
While the US official did not specify the issues discussed during the call, Axios reported earlier that the talks covered developments in the Gaza Strip and Syria, as well as the ongoing protests in Iran.
The protests in Iran began on December 28, following moves by traders in Tehran’s Grand Bazaar to protest the sharp decline in the value of the Iranian rial, before spreading to several cities.
In the Gaza Strip, since the ceasefire agreement came into effect, Israel has committed hundreds of violations by bombing and firing, resulting in the martyrdom of 439 Palestinians and the injury of 1,223 others since October 11.
Separately, Israel and Syria reached an agreement earlier this week during US-mediated talks in Paris to establish a communication mechanism for coordination on security and trade issues.
Since US President Donald Trump took office in January 2025, Netanyahu has visited the United States five times to meet with him, while Trump visited Israel in October.
