Over the past 24 hours, there has been an increased number of U.S. fighter jets and refueling aircraft returning to Israel as well as to other locations in the Middle East, Israeli state television reported tonight on its main newscast.

Israeli military officials believe it cannot be ruled out that military operations between Iran and the United States may resume in the Persian Gulf in the coming days. However, so far, Israel’s civil defense agency does not intend to impose emergency protective measures for the civilian population.

At the same time, the same Israeli sources emphasize that the IDF and the air defense forces remain on high alert and assure that, if Iran launches an attack against Israel, the Israeli armed forces will retaliate.

Uncertainty Surrounding the Negotiations

The course of negotiations between Iran and the U.S. remains unclear following yesterday’s U.S. operations against 80 Iranian targets, which were carried out in response to Iranian attacks on commercial ships sailing in the Strait of Hormuz. According to the schedule, the Iran-U.S. negotiations are set to resume after the burial of the remains of the late Leader of the Revolution, Ali Khamenei, in his hometown, Mashhad in northeastern Iran. However, if U.S. military strikes against Iran take place tonight—as the U.S. President announced today in remarks made in Ankara—then the future is uncertain.

If the Iran-U.S. ceasefire agreement is violated, a similar situation is expected on the Lebanese front. However, there is still no indication that direct contacts between Israel and the Lebanese government will not continue. On the contrary, the United States has already invited the Lebanese government to send representatives for the new round of talks with Israel, which is set to begin on July 21, this time in Rome

Watch Gabriel Haritou’s report vialive from Jerusalem on tonight’s main news broadcast on ALPHA Cyprus with Dimitra Makrygianni