Israel launches drill to test preparedness of home front in case of war

Week-long exercise will emulate war with Iran and Hezbollah, including missile strikes, mass evacuation of civilians from border region, and violent racial riots in mixed Jewish Arab areas; rocket alert sirens will be heard across the country
Yoav Zitun|Updated:
The defense establishment on Sunday kicked off a week-long military exercise, meant to simulate a large-scale attack on the home front in a possible a war against Iran and the Lebanese Hezbollah terrorist group.
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  • The military exercise - conducted as part of Israel’s National Home Front Week after a year-long COVID-induced hiatus - will see thousands of soldiers taking part in a variety of drills meant to simulate unprecedented and extreme security scenarios.
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    תרגיל מדמה נפילת טילים של פיקוד העורף צה"ל בשיתוף כוחות אב"כ ב רמת גן
    תרגיל מדמה נפילת טילים של פיקוד העורף צה"ל בשיתוף כוחות אב"כ ב רמת גן
    An archive picture showing two soldiers taking part in a past military drill
    Some of the drills set to be conducted this coming week include simulation of missile attacks from the north and the east, the evacuation of residents from the confrontation line, dispersing racial riots within Israel, and wide spread cyber attacks on vital infrastructure aimed at disrupting life.
    On Wednesday, rocket alert sirens will be heard across the country during simulated evacuation of civilians into protected areas.
    Emergency forces will also teach the residents living near the Lebanese border how to deal with the possible use of anesthetics and other substances - due to estimates that Hezbollah operatives will attempt to use them against soldiers and civilians during a breach of the border.
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    לוחמי חיזבאללה 2010
    לוחמי חיזבאללה 2010
    Hezbollah forces in Lebanon
    (Photo: AP)
    IDF forces will rehearse the rapid evacuation of the population living near the northern border to predefined sites in central and southern Israel, as well as the evacuation injured to hospitals in the center of the country - after assessments that Hezbollah will focus its artillery on Israeli communities close to the border.
    A new Home Front Command civilian battalion will also be deployed to local authorities where disruption to basic supplies are possible, while solds will practice dispersal of hazardous materials caused when sensitive industrial plants are impacted. A drill will also be held at the Galil chemical plant in the northern city of Kiryat Shmona.
    The exercise will simulate the home front response to a combined assault from Lebanon and Iran.
    First published: 11:24, 10.31.21
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