The Israel Defence Forces is undertaking defensive measures to safeguard the state from possible attack near its border with Syria. (AFP)
"In light of the recent occurrences in the region, the IDF [Israel Defence Forces] is taking the necessary defensive measures to safeguard the state of Israel," military sources said on Wednesday.
"These measures include both active and passive defence mechanisms".
Army radio reported that the military was moving Iron Dome missile defence systems in the north, as well as one Patriot missile defence battery to western Galilee.
The US and its allies blame Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's regime for chemical weapons attacks near Damascus last week, in which hundreds are said to have died, and are mulling military strikes.
Israeli media said Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu convened his eight-member security cabinet for consultations on the Syria situation.
On Tuesday, Netanyahu vowed a fierce reaction to "any attempt to hurt us" from Syria or its allies, in a possible reaction to a US attack.
But army spokesperson Brigadier General Yoav Mordechai downplayed tensions on Wednesday, saying there was no room for alarm at this stage.
Gas masks
The military is constantly "examining, monitoring and following the developments" in and regarding Syria, he wrote on Facebook, but there is "no reason to change our daily routines".
Nevertheless, Israelis continue to rush to replace old gas masks, in case of possible Syrian retaliation. A correspondent for news agency AFP reported long queues at a Tel Aviv post office serving as a distribution centre for the masks.
And in the Knesset, the legislative branch of the Israeli government, a parliamentary committee on home front preparedness was holding a special emergency session. Committee head Eli Yishai, of the ultra-Orthodox Shas party, blamed the government ahead of the meeting for closing gas mask factories and not allocating sufficient funds for purchasing masks.
According to Yishai, 40% of Israel's citizens have yet to collect new gas masks.
Home front defence minister Gilad Erdan was to convene an emergency meeting later in the day. – AFP