IDF conducts large exercise in preparation for next Gaza war

The IDF chief of staff said he was impressed by the high-state of readiness at the conclusion of the exercise.

By World Israel News Staff

The IDF completed a four-day exercise named “Four Seasons” on Wednesday designed to prepare it for the next clash with the terrorist-run Gaza Strip.

At the conclusion of the exercise, IDF Chief of Staff Aviv Kochavi said he was “impressed by the preparedness which was of a very, very high level.”

“We’re not going to let the calm confuse us,” Kochavi said. “We will continue with the process of preparation on the assumption that from within Gaza a clash can burst forth any day.”

He tweeted a similar message on Wednesday.

Israel media report that the IDF’s plan in the event of a confrontation with Hamas in Gaza, (generally viewed by defense officials as inevitable) is not to destroy the terror group, but to hit it with a strong blow.

This was the policy in Operation Protective Edge (2014) and Operation Pillar of Defense (2012).

However, Ma’ariv reports that unlike in the case of at least one of those operations, Protective Edge, which focused on destroying terror tunnels, the IDF is preparing to move against a broader range of terrorist targets, including Hamas’ chain of command.

In recent months, a significant number of IDF battalions have been assigned to take part in fighting terror groups in the Gaza Strip, training in a series of exercises, Ynet reports.

The exercises are part of Chief of Staff Kochavi’s plan “to improve the competence and adapt operational plans to the possibility of a major military operation in the Gaza Strip,” says Ma’ariv.