Exceptional weather conditions caused severe turbidity in the seawater and led to the temporary shutdown of desalination plants located south of Hadera. As a result, residents in the Judaean Foothills and southern Israel were asked to prepare for the possibility of water outages.

In the community of Karmei Yosef, a notice has already been sent directly to residents: “Due to a nationwide malfunction in the water supply, a water outage is expected in the community. Please prepare accordingly and stock up on water in advance. We apologize for the inconvenience and thank you for your understanding and patience."

The Water Authority confirmed the details and said that the deterioration in seawater quality necessitated the temporary suspension of operations at some of the facilities. As an additional measure, it was decided to reduce the supply of fresh water designated for agriculture in the south.

The Ramat Negev Regional Council said that due to “serious malfunctions in the national desalination system," and following a situation assessment with the Mekorot water company and the Water Authority, all farmers in the region were instructed to completely cease irrigation for several hours. At the same time, private residents were also asked to refrain from watering private gardens and open green spaces during the coming hours.

The Water Authority reiterated that despite the severe turbidity in the sea, the national water system continues to operate normally, with Mekorot providing an immediate response by increasing the use of all available water-production resources.

Professional officials are continuously monitoring water-quality indicators with the aim of returning the facilities to full operation as soon as the clarity of the seawater improves.

The shutdown of the facilities prompted concerns about the possibility of a cyberattack, particularly in light of previous attempts to target water infrastructure in Israel and around the world.

However, an industry official clarified that “this is not a cyber incident." Earlier this month, following reports in the United States of a cyberattack attributed to Iran against water systems in seven states, Israel’s National Cyber Directorate said that numerous Iranian attempts to attack Israel’s water sector are recorded as part of the daily emergency routine, but stressed that “significant harm in the cyber domain" had been prevented.