An Israeli navy vessel and helicopter search for the wreckage of a drone which was shot down by the air force off Israel's northern coast on 25 April 2013. (Photo: AFP - Jack Guez)
On Tuesday, April 30, the Israeli army launched a major drill in the north, simulating a massive military confrontation with Hezbollah. According to a high-level military source, the exercise is taking place to test the army’s ability to respond in a timely manner to any escalation from the Lebanese side.
The drill was widely publicized in Israeli media, all while stressing that the exercise was not planned in advance. According to Ynet, the English-language website of the Israeli daily Yedioth Ahronoth, Israeli Minister of Defense Moshe Yaalon and the Knesset’s Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee had not been informed of the surprise drill.
The military correspondent for Israel’s Channel Ten reported that 2,000 reservists were called up to take part in the exercise, which is set to continue until Thursday.
The correspondent said that Israel has not seen a drill of this scale in years, and reckoned that it was staged in light of the sharp tensions along the northern borders, with both Syria and Hezbollah.
The war games sparked rumors in Israel about a possible military strike against Syrian chemical weapons facilities. This prompted the Israeli army to reach out to military correspondents, and told them that though sudden, the exercise was still part of its annual training program.
A high-ranking officer in Israel’s Northern Command told reporters on Tuesday that the drill is meant to simulate a rapid escalation in the field, where forces have to mobilize and deploy within 48 hours. He said the scenario being simulated involved sudden security deterioration on the Lebanese front, which would later on require a ground-based incursion into Lebanon.
In response to a question about possible links between the sudden exercise and the downing of a drone off the coast of Haifa, the officer said that Israel must prepare for all scenarios, including deploying quickly to the Syrian front.
IsraelDefense.com, an Israeli website dedicated to military and intelligence issues, reported that Israeli infantry units specialized in guerrilla warfare will soon undergo exercises simulating combat in complex battlefields, including urban areas and fortified buildings.
Another senior officer in the Operations Division in the Israeli army claimed that Hezbollah has built tunnels and fortifications beneath villages in Lebanon. The officer said that such threats have grown dramatically in recent years, and that there is a huge difference between the underground structures Israel encountered in the July 2006 War and those that exist today.
Meanwhile, sources in the office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu criticized remarks by former defense minister Benjamin Ben-Eliezer, who alleged that chemical weapons had already made their way into the hands of Hezbollah in Lebanon.
According to the Army Radio, the office of Minister of Defense Moshe Yaalon refused to comment on Ben-Eliezer’s statements. If the former minister’s claims are correct, the radio asked, has Hezbollah crossed a red line? And will Tel Aviv have to make a tough decision and take action?
This article is an edited translation from the Arabic Edition.
The drill was widely publicized in Israeli media, all while stressing that the exercise was not planned in advance. According to Ynet, the English-language website of the Israeli daily Yedioth Ahronoth, Israeli Minister of Defense Moshe Yaalon and the Knesset’s Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee had not been informed of the surprise drill.
The military correspondent for Israel’s Channel Ten reported that 2,000 reservists were called up to take part in the exercise, which is set to continue until Thursday.
The correspondent said that Israel has not seen a drill of this scale in years, and reckoned that it was staged in light of the sharp tensions along the northern borders, with both Syria and Hezbollah.
The war games sparked rumors in Israel about a possible military strike against Syrian chemical weapons facilities. This prompted the Israeli army to reach out to military correspondents, and told them that though sudden, the exercise was still part of its annual training program.
A high-ranking officer in Israel’s Northern Command told reporters on Tuesday that the drill is meant to simulate a rapid escalation in the field, where forces have to mobilize and deploy within 48 hours. He said the scenario being simulated involved sudden security deterioration on the Lebanese front, which would later on require a ground-based incursion into Lebanon.
In response to a question about possible links between the sudden exercise and the downing of a drone off the coast of Haifa, the officer said that Israel must prepare for all scenarios, including deploying quickly to the Syrian front.
IsraelDefense.com, an Israeli website dedicated to military and intelligence issues, reported that Israeli infantry units specialized in guerrilla warfare will soon undergo exercises simulating combat in complex battlefields, including urban areas and fortified buildings.
Another senior officer in the Operations Division in the Israeli army claimed that Hezbollah has built tunnels and fortifications beneath villages in Lebanon. The officer said that such threats have grown dramatically in recent years, and that there is a huge difference between the underground structures Israel encountered in the July 2006 War and those that exist today.
Meanwhile, sources in the office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu criticized remarks by former defense minister Benjamin Ben-Eliezer, who alleged that chemical weapons had already made their way into the hands of Hezbollah in Lebanon.
According to the Army Radio, the office of Minister of Defense Moshe Yaalon refused to comment on Ben-Eliezer’s statements. If the former minister’s claims are correct, the radio asked, has Hezbollah crossed a red line? And will Tel Aviv have to make a tough decision and take action?
This article is an edited translation from the Arabic Edition.
Uprooted Palestinian
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