With eight days to go until the elections, concern over a possible security incident is mounting.

The Knesset’s defense committee held a special session on Monday, at the end of which committee chairman Boaz Bismuth declared: “Israel’s enemies will try to strike on Election Day. The defense establishment is at peak readiness.”

In addition, the IDF announced a freeze on soldier leave beginning this Thursday and lasting until after the elections, in line with the ongoing situational assessment. The directive is one of a series of operational measures decided on as the army prepares for the election period and moves to the highest level of alert across all sectors.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu visited an Israeli Air Force base on Monday and said: “I say to our enemies: Don’t test us. You will take harder blows than you have taken until now. We all know what tremendous achievements we have had. We are determined to defend ourselves. Don’t test us.”