IDF northern command commences week-long drill

Preparing for all eventualities, the IDF is conducting another training exercise simulating war in the north.

By: Aryeh Savir, World Israel News

The IDF’s northern command commenced on Sunday a week-long military exercise on the Golan Heights and in the Galilee.

During the drill, explosions will be heard and there will be an increased presence of security forces and vehicles, an IDF spokesman stated. He also stressed that the exercise was previously scheduled and is part of the army’s ongoing training schedule.

The IDF recently conducted a two week-long exercise in January to prepare it for simultaneous combat and face multiple threats along its northern border with Syria and Lebanon.

Northern Command chief Aviv Kochavi said after the drill that the exercise “demonstrated IDF’s ability to implement operational plans in all arenas while facing Hezbollah and Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) both in Syria and Lebanon. In this framework, we simulated vast maneuvers, substantial fire power, and attack of thousands of targets in all combat areas, with high efficiency, including residential areas exploited by the enemy.”

Israel fought a month-long war against Lebanon’s Hezbollah terrorists in 2006. Hezbollah has since been building its military capabilities in preparation for another attack on Israel.

On the border with Syria, Israel has been warily watching the Islamic State’s (ISIS) advanced towards its borders, and the IDF estimates it will have to face this threat in the near future.

IDF Chief of Staff Eisenkot stated in January that Israel’s most formidable military threat is the Lebanon-based Hezbollah , and the advent of ISIS in the Middle East has become the most influential factor in the region. In that context, Israel must be prepared to face ISIS militarily on a short notice.