Israel deploys prefabricated bomb shelters amid escalating conflict with Iran

By Abdel Raouf Arnaout and Mohammad Sio

JERUSALEM / ISTANBUL (AA) – Israel began installing dozens of prefabricated bomb shelters across Tel Aviv and central cities on Tuesday, as Iranian missile strikes continued to target the country’s heartland.

The move comes on the fifth consecutive day of Iranian retaliatory attacks following Israel’s large-scale airstrikes on Iran on Friday, which targeted nuclear facilities and missile bases and killed senior military commanders and nuclear scientists.

According to the public broadcaster KAN, Israel’s Defense Ministry and the army’s Home Front Command began placing new “Arbel”-type shelters – reinforced closed units with heavy doors – near schools and public buildings in areas lacking adequate protection.

These shelters are designed to withstand shrapnel and blast waves and offer stronger defense than previously installed open shelters, especially in the event of ballistic missile attacks.

The next phase of the project will expand to Israel’s coastal plain and the Kiryot area near Haifa in the north. The estimated cost of the shelter deployment stands at $14.2 million.

The rollout follows mounting public frustration as many residents in central Israel, particularly in Tel Aviv, have voiced concerns about insufficient access to safe shelters.

On Sunday, Israel Hayom daily reported that thousands of people were stranded outdoors during missile alerts and were denied entry to existing shelters.

Israeli residents accused the government of abandoning them, saying they were left without real protection during escalating hostilities.

Israeli authorities said that at least 24 people have been killed and hundreds injured in Iranian missile attacks since Friday.

Iran, for its part, said that at least 224 people have been killed and over 1,000 others wounded in the Israeli assault.