Israeli army chief orders higher alert level and suspension of soldiers' leave

The Israeli military increased its alert level and will suspend soldiers' leave, Chief of General Staff Eyal Zamir announced, saying the army is "at the highest level of readiness" and will maintain that posture across all fronts to ensure secure, timely elections. The leave suspension takes effect Thursday and requires troops to remain at their bases; the measure may be reviewed based on later assessments. Zamir also ordered senior officers to increase their presence at command centers to preserve operational readiness. (Source: Shargh newspaper)

Initial synthesis; final edit pending