Israel on Monday holds a nationwide drill to prepare the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) and civilian institutions for the threat of an unconventional weapons attack, the army said.
The military, defence ministry, the National Emergency Authority, municipalities and rescue organizations are participating in the drill, called Turning Point 7, to last until Wednesday.
As part of the drill, a 90-second siren was scheduled to sound around the country Monday at 12:30 pm (1030 GMT) and at 19:05 pm (1705 GMT).
Israel‘s 8 million citizens are asked to go to shelters, protected spaces or underground parking lots and stay there for 10 minutes.
This exercise occurs annually, so as to prepare the IDF and civilian institutions to keep the civilian population safe in case of military or non-military emergency.
This drill is designed specifically to prepare government, civilian and military bodies to respond to an unconventional weapons attack on Israel’s home front.
No sirens will sound in communities near the Gaza Strip, at the request of local councils who said they would cause unnecessary stress and anxiety among residents who have been coping with recurring rocket and mortar shell attacks by Palestinians from Gaza.
Schools, kindergartens, army bases and government offices will all practice being evacuated.
This year’s Turning Point exercise occurs against the backdrop of threats on the Israeli home front, including both military threats and terror, the army said.
IDF Chief of the General Staff, Lt. Gen. Benny Gantz emphasized last week the persistent risk of escalation. “We live in a security-strategic environment defined by its instability,” he said. “The situation is volatile and sensitive, and everyday we are involved in making decisions that if they are wrong could lead us to a sudden and uncontrollable deterioration. We face a wide variety of threats in all of our regions.”
The Chief of Staff specified the threats facing Israel’s various regions, emphasizing the connections between its different enemies. “We can see connections between Gaza and Sinai, between Gaza and the Judea and Samaria region, between Syria and Lebanon,” he noted.
“In each of these areas, we are faced with regular military threats, asymmetrical combat and the threat of terror in a complex battlefield – including thickly built areas, civilian population and an enemy to whom we need to respond rapidly and precisely,” he said.
Last week, Air Force Commander Maj.Gen. Amir Eshel spoke of the threat posed by the conflict in Syria. “Syria is changing before our eyes,” he stated. “If tomorrow it collapses, we could very quickly find [its] great arsenal dispersed and directed at us.”