On Wednesday afternoon, Israelis crowded in lines for gas masks in Jerusalem. The city has come under high alert with the increasing likelihood of a US military strike on Syria and the potential retaliation by Damascus using chemical weapons.
The Israeli Maariv newspaper reported on Wednesday that Israelis are not prepared for a chemical weapon attack. It quoted security sources as saying that 40 percent of Israelis would not have masks to protect them, as only 4.8 million masks had been distributed to 60 percent of the population. The sources also urged the bearded Haredim to shave because the cost of the high cost of their special masks.
The media in Tel Aviv reported on Tuesday that the Israeli army is on maximum alert in anticipation of a possible attack from Syria in the event of a Western military strike. The anticipation of attacks comes amidst reports that the Assad regime used chemical weapons and killed more than 1500 people, charges that the regime has categorically denied.
Israel has been providing its citizens with gas masks since the Gulf War of 1991 when the United States led forces to evict the Iraqi army from Kuwait.
During that war, former Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein launched Scud missiles on Israel and threatened to launch a chemical attack.
Edited translation from Al-Masry Al-Youm
