Hundreds of thousands of Israelis in northern Israel do not have access to a bomb shelter or secure location, Israel’s Ynet news site reported on Wednesday.
According to the report, the Israel Builders Association released a study based on data from the Central Bureau of Statistics that found that as many as a million Israelis in the northern part of the country lack a bomb shelter or secure location near their homes in case of an attack.
The report comes amid heightened tensions between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon, which launched a rocket attack against an Israel Defense Forces’ vehicle on Sunday.
The government approved an NIS 5 billion ($1.4 billion) security plan a year ago, authored by then-defense minister Avigdor Lieberman, but the plan was eventually canceled. Local leaders are calling on the government to implement the fortification program, according to the report.