Click to see full-size image. Source: the Israeli Air Force.
Israel is preparing for a possible full-blown war with Hezbollah in Lebanon according to official documents that leaked on the internet on May 31.
The leaked documents, which were sent from the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) to the councils of northern cities and settlements, includes emergency instructions in case war breaks out on the front with Lebanon.
On May 29, the IDF launched a large-scale two-week-long drill across the country, simulating a potential multi-front war. In the framework of the drill, the air force will conduct simulated “strategic” strikes deep in enemy territory in an all out war scenario, while the navy will carry out mock offensive and defensive actions.
The IDF said troops from the standing and reserve army, from nearly all units, would participate in the drill, codenamed Firm Hand. The emergency instructions were likely distributed as a part of the drill.
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- Click to see full-size image. Via Twitter.
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- Click to see full-size image. Via Twitter.
The leaked documents explained the “dangerous” nature of a possible war with Hezbollah and calls for drastic emergency measures that will need days to implement, including preparing shelters in the northern region.
“You have to evacuate the settlement as quickly as possible, there will be a small window of time when it will probably be possible to evacuate, and then the roads will be closed,” the IDF says in the documents.
In another part of the documents, the IDF explains ongoing preparations for a full-blown war and the scale of attacks expected.
The IDF drill comes amid heightened tensions with Hezbollah, whose Secretary-General, Hasan Nasrallah, threatened Israel with a “grand war” very recently.
Just a few hours before the IDF’s documents were leaked, the Liberation of Palestine – General Command held Israel responsible for a mysterious blast that killed five of its fighters and wounded ten others in the Bekaa Valley in eastern Lebanon, near the border with Syria. Tel Aviv denied the accusations made by the front, which is allied to Hezbollah.
All in all, it appears that the IDF is preparing for a full-blown war not only with Hezbollah, but also with other members of the so-called “Axis of Resistance” which is led by Iran.
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