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Israeli forces, civilians drill to defend multi-faceted attack
The IDF Home Front Command is preparing for a nationwide drill next week, which will simulate massive rocket attack on Israeli towns and cities, possibly from multiple fronts.
The drill, which will run from Sunday to Thursday, will include a nationwide air raid siren on Tuesday. The goal of the exercise is to prepare the public for the scenario of a mass rocket attack. The Home Front Command has been working with emergency services, government ministries and local authorities to prepare for such an eventuality.
The IDF has emphasised that the exercise does not reflect any imminent threat. However, it estimates that Israel’s enemies possess around 230,000 rockets, more than half of which are in the hands of Hezbollah. The Home Front Command predicts that around one per cent would directly hit buildings, causing hundreds of casualties.
Meanwhile, the IDF Paratrooper Brigade conducted a surprise training exercise this week on the Golan Heights, simulating a scenario in which they would be forced to carry out an operation in Syria against jihadist terror groups following a mass infiltration across Israel’s border. The drill apparently included practicing raids on terrorists in civilian areas and the destruction of weapons caches.
Although reserve units have carried out similar drills in the past, this week’s Paratroopers’ exercise will help enable a rapid response to such a situation. The exercise will apparently culminate next week in a parachute operation, simulating deployment deep into enemy territory should Hezbollah open a second front in Lebanon during a conflict on the Syrian border.
YNet quotes an unnamed senior Paratrooper Brigade officer, who said that unlike Hamas and Hezbollah, jihadist groups in Syria are typically not entrenched in specific locations. Instead, the officer said, “they change extremely quickly”. The source added: “They are fast, flexible, utilise new weapons and tactics and are constantly changing allegiances.”
Israeli forces on the Syrian border have on occasion come under fire. It is thought that Hezbollah has sought to use the border as an additional point of conflict with Israel.