Agence France-Presse,
JERUSALEM: Israeli ministers were scheduled April 7 to test their response to the scenario of simultaneous attacks from Syria, Lebanon and the Gaza Strip as part of a major home front defense drill.
The five-day exercise, the largest in the country's history, is being staged against the backdrop of increased tension on the northern border, prompting the government to reassure Syria and Lebanon there was no hidden agenda behind the maneuvers.
The drill, which started April 6, simulates air and missile attacks on Israeli cities, and the use of nonconventional weapons by the attackers.
As part the simulation, members of the security cabinet, chaired by Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, will have to make decisions after being told of widespread attacks and high numbers of casualties.
The April 7 exercise has Israel coming under simultaneous attack from Syria and the Lebanese Hezbollah militia in the north and from Palestinian militants in Gaza to the south.
The government will also test coordination of vital services, including food distribution centers, hospitals and postal services.
Over the next few days, emergency sirens will sound across the country and schoolchildren will practice entering shelters and protected areas in the event of chemical and biological attacks on Israel.
The prime minister and his staff will also train to work from an underground bomb shelter at the premier's Jerusalem office, officials said.
Dubbed “Turning Point,” the exercise follows widespread criticism of Israel's handling of the 2006 war against Hezbollah in Lebanon.
It also comes after local media last week reported heightened tensions along Israel's heavily guarded border with Syria and days after Lebanese Prime Minister Fuad Siniora put his armed forces on alert.
Olmert sought to reassure Syria and Lebanon on April 6 that Israel did not want the drill to worsen tensions along its northern border.
“The goal of the exercise is to check the authorities' ability to carry out their duties in times of emergency and for preparing the home front for different scenarios,” Olmert told a weekly cabinet meeting.
“There is nothing else hidden behind it. All the reports on tension in the north can be moderated and cooled down. We have no secret plans” behind the exercises, he added.
Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak has said the maneuvers were primarily aimed at learning lessons from the Lebanon war, during which more than 4,000 rockets fired by the Hezbollah militia slammed into northern Israel.
The 34-day conflict ended under a U.N.-brokered cease-fire after more than 1,200 people in Lebanon – mostly civilians – and 160 Israelis – mostly soldiers – were killed.
An official inquiry into the war harshly criticized Israel's leadership for failing to protect civilians during the conflict.
