Following a series of tremors that shook the entire country this week, Defense Minister Israel Katz has declared a state of emergency readiness to prepare the civilian front for a major earthquake.

Israel is officially entering a heightened state of disaster preparedness following a series of earthquakes that rattled the country over the past week, stretching from the southern desert to the northern Galilee. These tremors, which serve as a stark reminder of Israel’s precarious position along the Syrian-African Rift, have prompted the government to accelerate its national defense and civil readiness strategies. On Monday, Defense Minister Israel Katz convened the Ministerial Committee for Civilian Readiness to address the vulnerabilities exposed by these recent geological events. During the session, Katz formally designated 2026 and 2027 as "critical readiness years," signaling a shift in national priorities toward ensuring the country can survive a large scale seismic catastrophe.

A Strategic Overhaul for the Civilian Front