Israel is loosening wartime restrictions on public activities and gradually reopening its main airport, as the military reportedly says the rate of Iranian missile fire on the country slows.
As of midday on Thursday, groups of 50 people are allowed to gather and workplaces to reopen, provided there is ample shelter nearby.
Any facility without timely access to a shelter, which in some parts of Israel is a matter of seconds, remain in the fully restricted category. Educational centres remain fully closed, as well as public Beaches.
Israel’s airspace is set to reopen for outbound flights on Sunday, albeit under some restrictions, the Transportation Minister announced. The first inbound repatriation flight landed at Ben Gurion Airport on Thursday morning.
News of the reopening comes as Israel’s army reported all Iranian missiles fired overnight on Thursday were intercepted, boosting hopes that the coming days and weeks will be more manageable on the home front. The army has also been releasing bullish statements about the success of attacks to damage Iran’s ballistic missile operation.
The heaviest number of barrages Israeli witnessed from Iran was 62, on March 1, one day into the war, according to data compiled by Israeli think tank INSS. That day also saw the highest death toll in Israel, 11 people, out of a total death count of 13.
By Wednesday, the number of barrages decreased to 10.
The new Israeli assessments are in stark contrast to the unfolding emergency in the region as Iran continues to expand its attacks across the Middle East, with no signs of letting up.
Israel, however, is faced with the new difficulty of Lebanese group Hezbollah joining the war. Although Hezbollah's munitions are less sophisticated than Iran's, Lebanon’s proximity to Israel means the group’s rockets arrive in a matter of seconds, leaving Israelis little time to take shelter. There are reports in Israeli media that the military believes Hezbollah may increase its attacks.
Lior Shelef, a farmer from Kibbutz Snir in northern Israel, said Hezbollah’s attacks feel “no less scary” than during the conflict along the northern border during the Gaza war.
The group has so far fired dozens of munitions, mostly at the north of the country, but a few have reached the centre.
“The kids are very, very terrified. They’re going to sleep in the safe room and there’s no option of educational or cultural activity in the kibbutz,” he told The National at the outbreak of the fighting.
There has been some criticism of the government’s domestic guidelines. Opposition leader Yair Lapid criticised them for being “confused” in relation to the delayed reopening of educational centres.
“The situation is particularly severe in special education, where there is no solution for children and young people with special needs,” Mr Lapid wrote in a post on X.
