The Israeli Air Force has issued an unusual instruction to soldiers stationed at the Kirya base in central Tel Aviv, asking them to stop ordering food deliveries directly to the base and instead meet delivery drivers at a point outside the base.

The directive comes amid concerns that a sudden spike in late-night food orders could reveal operational activity, including the presence of large numbers of personnel at the base ahead of sensitive military operations. Officials warned that delivery data could potentially be used to track and hint at upcoming action.

The concern is based on a trending theory known as the “Pentagon Pizza Index,” which suggests that unusual surges in food orders near major military headquarters can signal preparations for military operations before they are publicly known. According to internal guidance distributed to soldiers and obtained by Israeli media, delivery patterns could unintentionally expose sensitive activity.

The theory gained renewed attention last summer, when online users claimed they had spotted signs of a looming Israeli strike on Iran by tracking food order activity near the Pentagon in Washington. Social media users monitoring a popular account called Pentagon Pizza Report reported a sharp increase in late-night pizza orders at a nearby restaurant shortly before the operation began.

The idea itself is not new. Similar patterns were reportedly observed ahead of major U.S. military actions, including the 1991 Gulf War and the 1989 U.S. invasion of Panama, when pizza shops near the Pentagon saw sudden spikes in orders shortly before operations were launched.