WarSclerotic

The Israeli military on Sunday issued its annual ‎operational activity report, tallying up strikes ‎and missions alongside security incidents. ‎

According to the report, the IDF mounted a combined ‎‎865 air and ground strikes in the Gaza Strip in ‎‎2018, destroyed 15 terror tunnels breaching Israeli ‎territory from Gaza and five tunnels snaking under ‎the Israel-Lebanon border, and dealt with 87 high-profile ‎terrorist attacks across Judea and Samaria.‎

Seven soldiers and nine civilians were killed in ‎terrorist incidents over the passing year. ‎

The data further showed that overall, the Israeli ‎Air Force’s combat squadrons conducted some 2,000 ‎sorties, of which 600 involved IAF helicopters. The various ‎transport squadrons engaged in some 2,300 flights. ‎Overall, manned aircraft logged 32,166 flight ‎hours, with Alaska being the farthest destination. ‎

The military did not release any official numbers on its strikes in Syria in 2018, but it is believed ‎to have launched hundreds of sorties there since ‎‎2017. ‎

According to IDF data, Gaza-based terrorist groups ‎fired some 1,000 rockets and mortar shells at ‎Israel’s south, 460 of them in a span of 36 hours ‎during November’s flare-up on the border, which was ‎the worst since 2014.‎

The Iron Dome defense system intercepted 250 ‎projectiles, and an unspecified, low number of ‎rockets hit urban areas. ‎

Security forces operating across the West Bank ‎arrested 3,173 suspected terrorists in 2018. The ‎sector further saw 2,057 stoning incidents, 893 ‎firebomb incidents, 33 shooting attacks and 17 ‎stabbing attacks. ‎

For the sake of comparison, in 2017 there were 5,082 stoning incidents, 34 ‎‎shooting attacks, and five stabbing attacks. ‎

The IDF conducted four divisional maneuvers in 2018, ‎as well as 14 drills involving brigades in the various sectors and 46‎ military exercises ‎involving regular and reserves forces. ‎