IDF to launch nationwide drill as officials ramp up war rhetoric
IDF to launch nationwide drill as officials ramp up war rhetoric – Israel News, Ynetnews.
Home front minister says war is not question of ‘if’ but ‘when’ as he launches exercise intended to prepare civilians to its event
Yoav Zitun
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“There is no longer a question whether missiles will be launched at Israel’s major population centers, only when it would happen,” Home Front Defense Minister Gilad Erdan said Tuesday ahead of a nationwide drill.
The civil war raging in Syria and ominous Israeli promises to prevent advanced weapons from landing in the hands of terrorist organizations are only part of the background for the annual national emergency exercise set to be held next week.
The drill, held jointly by the IDF Home Front Command and emergency services, aims to prepare the Israeli population for the undesired event of thousands of missiles and rockets hitting population centers and strategic installations across the country, including unconventional weapons from Syria, Lebanon and the Gaza Strip. The simulation will commence Sunday morning with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announcing a week of national emergency.
Erdan (second from left) beside IDF chief Gantz (Photo: IDF Spokesperson’s Office)
From Monday until Wednesday the drill will focus on civilian population, in particular practicing speedy retreat to protected spaces. This will be a high-tech drill, as participation will be checked online with the assistance of the Education Ministry, which devised a form asking students whether they and their parents indeed entered sheltered areas.
Additionally, this will be first time the entire early warning system will be put to a test as, besides sirens, civilians will receive alerts via different media including mobile devices, social networks and television broadcasts.
Erdan also said that “in terms of gaps in protection, we prefer to invest in protecting our citizens from conventional threats before investing in shielding the population from nonconventional weaponry. The Iron Dome (missile defense system) will not be ready to cope – as we have seen in the Pillar of Defense operation – with the scope and size of such missiles.”
Head of the Home Front Command Major-General Eyal Eisenberg also spoke of war as a near certainty, saying “We’ll be required to deal with a large volume of rocket fire. Our opponents hold long-range missiles with large warheads and carrying capacity of hundreds of pounds.
“There is no doubt Israel’s home front has never dealt with such a scenario, and we will have to show extraordinary fortitude. These are not easy times, but Israel possesses a far greater destructive capacity compared to our enemies, so I would suggest our neighbors weigh the odds once more before they warm up the engines,” said the commander.
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WarSclerotic 
May 21, 2013 at 8:04 PM
Hopefully, an Israeli attack is coordinated with a Turkish invasion of Syria, and a Sunni attack on Shiites in Lebanon.
May 21, 2013 at 8:53 PM
If there is going to be a attack on Syria.NATO and the USA will coordinate it,it will take a fair bit more for that to happen,A tipping point has been agreed,this will not ever become public,no one outside the loop knows what it is.my guess a missile attack from Syria and ether Turkey or Jordon or Israel,The Germans are the main scuppers in NATO,Merkil doesn’t want to upset her Russian paymaster,by hitting Assad the USA has already decided on action at some point but is avoiding making a committed public decision due to the situations fluidity on the ground,
May 21, 2013 at 8:09 PM
We could only wish for something like that to happen but it’s doubtful.
May 21, 2013 at 8:53 PM
As usual, it’s going to be Israel verses everyone else.
May 21, 2013 at 10:25 PM
I agree. And I believe also that if Assad escalates it is Iran that is behind this plan. Maybe they think that the can risk the fall of Assad in the hope of dragging Israel into a protracted war with Hizbollah thus preventing Israel from striking Iran while they save their nuclear program across the finish line.
May 22, 2013 at 1:01 AM
Its the Russians,look whats going on in asia with NK that ties up the US pacific fleet allowing Russia to send part of there’s to the med,Iran is just a proxy,were back in the cold war and in the hot part,1962 so what happens now could be really bad,for all of us
May 21, 2013 at 10:13 PM
The sooner the Israeli attack at Lebanon and Iran comes the better for Israel. Either this spring or next spring – preferably this spring.
May 21, 2013 at 11:06 PM
Still do not get it, eh? Read my lips: US and or NATO will not do anything now, or any time soon…. Read the notes, you have claimed US intervential will have happened months ago, you say it every week….. Deal with it, it will not happen.
May 21, 2013 at 11:47 PM
Dröm vidare, Israel will never attack Iran, and will even try to avoid attacking Lebanon at all cost. The last time Israel attacked Lebanon, half a million Israelis spend weeks in bomb shelters. In the mean time Hezbollah is better prepared than ever, and the Russian fleet is nearby.
May 22, 2013 at 1:05 AM
“russian fleet”come on renbe you must be able to do better than that cypress could sink the Russian scrap mountain,now you are not being serious 7 hours to sink the lot and that’s with just one NATO destroyer a British one so stop dreaming,tell your boss your close to getting cooked and surrender now
May 22, 2013 at 6:27 PM
De har inget annat val. Skjuter de upp attacken med ett år så är Israels existens i fara.
IDF will hit 2000 targets in Iran 1000 in Syria and 500 in Lebanon and 100 in Gasa. – All in one night!
May 22, 2013 at 6:32 PM
Gee… Guess we have 2,500 more warplanes than I thought.
May 22, 2013 at 6:37 PM
So how many UAV:s do you think there are?