Tel Aviv is based on the real world location of Tel Aviv.
The following is based on unverified behind the scenes information and may be inaccurate.
The attacks on the city may be a reference to Nevil Shute's 1957 post-apocalyptic novel On the Beach, in which Tel Aviv is bombed by unknown forces and becomes the second city to be destroyed during the nuclear war.
End of information based on unverified behind the scenes information
↑Fallout: Brotherhood of Steel Manual By late 2035, after the threat of a recently discovered super plague and the destruction of Tel Aviv by a terrorist nuclear weapon, the United States closed its borders.