clear

Creating new perspectives since 2009

Israel official says power grid not ready for war, Hezbollah can bring it down within 72 hours

June 21, 2024 at 12:49 pm

Hundreds of people gather to follow the speech of Hezbollah Secretary General Hassan Nasrallah, on a screen, in Beirut, Lebanon on November 3, 2023 [Houssam Shbaro/Anadolu Agency]

The CEO of Israel’s National Electrical System Management Company Noga, Shaul Goldstein, warned Wednesday that the country is unprepared for war, noting that the network could fall down within hours of war.

“After 72 hours without electricity, it will not be possible to live in Israel,” Goldstein shared at the Institute for National Security Studies conference in Sderot.

“We are not in a good state; we are not prepared for war. Hezbollah could easily cripple Israel’s power grid,” he continued.

“Israel is an energy island and we need to supply ourselves with electricity…. People do not understand how much our lives depend on electricity…so after five hours [without electricity] I have no phone to call. After 12 hours, you will arrive at the gas station, but there is no gasoline, and not a single gas station operates. At each station there is a queue of at least 30 kilometres, if not more,” Goldstein explained.

“Check all our infrastructure, fibre optics and ports, and I will not go into sensitive matters. We are in a bad situation. We are not ready for a real war. We live in an imaginary world in my view… If the war is postponed for a year, five, or ten, our situation is better,” Goldstein added.

READ: Israeli army releases 33 Palestinian detainees from Gaza