Last week’s all-out drill comes against the backdrop of major changes in the region’s geopolitical landscape,Inside Israel - Eliezer Shulman,Last week’s all-out drill comes against the backdrop of major changes in the region’s geopolitical landscape
T he IDF initiated a massive ten-day all-out comprehensive drill in Israel’s north last week the first of its kind in 19 years.
The army’s Northern Division along with Air Force Navy and Intelligence Bureau resources — all under the direction of Major-General Tamir Heiman — practiced a simulation under which a Hezbollah amphibious attack on Israeli coastal communities escalated into a full-fledged conflict. The scenario included evacuations of northern communities from a hail of rockets.
Leaving nothing to chance the IDF Chief Rabbinate headed by Colonel Rabbi Eyal Karim participated in the drill as well arranging for an immense eiruv providing kosher l’mehadrin meals for frum soldiers and identifying casualties among other functions.
The IDF’s declared goal in this exercise — named “Ohr Hadagan ” in memory of former Mossad head Meir Dagan who passed away last year — was to win an outright victory against Hezbollah. The usual euphemisms about “delivering a strong blow” or “teaching them a lesson” were replaced with clear calls for decisively defeating the terrorist Shiite militia. Nevertheless accepting these declarations at face value is dicey; it is easier to proclaim victory in a drill than in an actual war. The way things turn out in reality depends largely on the dialogue between the army brass and the decision makers in the government.
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