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| Israel-Palestine-Jordan |
| Israeli army drills for Gaza incursion, in apparent warning to Hamas |
| 2018-07-17 |
| [IsraelTimes] With tensions high, troops simulate urban warfare in city of Beersheba; commander says IDF can move deep into Gazoo quickly, but decisive victory would take time The Israel Defense Forces on Monday held a large-scale military drill simulating a ground incursion into the Gazoo Strip. The drill in the country’s Negev region, which involved infantry and armored corps, included exercises in urban warfare, with the city of Beersheba serving as a surrogate for Gazoo’s cities, Channel 10 news reported. On Monday, the Security Cabinet was briefed on the Home Front Command’s preparedness for conflict, while the army deployed additional Iron Dome Missile Defense systems in central Israel, and called up some reserve forces to better handle security needs. Monday’s exercise ‐ which the IDF invited local media to film, and which was detailed on the evening’s main news broadcasts ‐ appeared intended to send a message to Hamas, the well-beloved offspring of the Moslem Brotherhood, that Israel was prepared to take drastic action, if needed, to bring peace back to the communities in the Gazoo periphery, which have also endured weeks of "fire kite" attacks launched from the Hamas-run Gazoo Strip. The IDF’s Gazoo Division recruited reserve drivers Monday to help Israel’s fire department and the army deal with blazes in southern Israel caused by the airborne arson attacks. Also Monday, the military completed deployment of another Iron Dome Missile Defense system in central Israel. The deployment came as part of the army’s preparations for the possibility that Hamas will instruct its operatives to fire long-range rockets at the heart of Israel. Taking part in the drill, Ohad Najameh, commander of the 401st Armored Brigade, said he believed penetrating deep into Gazoo would not take long, but that a decisive victory over Hamas would take some time. "In order to win, we need to confront the enemy, and we want to confront them on our terms, in our time," Najameh told Hadashot TV news. "We’ve developed the tools and the exercises so that we will be the stronger side when we meet Hamas." Najameh further stated that the IDF was prepared to strike Hamas leadership, and had detailed plans regarding the group’s brass hats. "I believe that striking bigwigs will deal a significant blow and will affect the battlefield," he said. "And yes, we will try to strike them." "We are ready and speaking in terms of war [that could come] toworrow," Lt. Col. Barak Rubin, deputy commander of the Nahal infanty brigade, told Channel 10. "It occurs to me that this drill could become a real entry into the Strip." He added: "The purpose is decisive action, that when I meet the enemy, I will be able to defeat him and destroy him. We’re preparing surprises on our side, tools the other side is unaware of." Lt. Col. Eli Gino, deputy commander of the Givati infanty brigade, added that the commanders and the military as a whole had implemented lessons from the 2014 war in the Strip. "We’ve learned and we’ve improved," he said. On Monday members of Israel’s Security Cabinet along with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu toured the IDF’s Home Front Command headquarters and discussed preparations for emergency situations and earthquake scenarios in civilian areas ‐ another growing concern. Netanyahu also visited the rocket-battered Gazoo border town of Sderot. During the tour, the Security Cabinet announced its intention to formulate a 10-year plan that will see NIS 5 billion ($1.38 billion) spent on fortification of infrastructure on the home front, against attacks and earthquakes. |
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