IDF conducts snap drill testing readiness for ‘sudden, complex, multifront’ scenario

The Israeli military on Sunday morning carried out a snap drill testing the functioning of the military’s top-level headquarters during a “sudden multifront scenario.”

The Israel Defense Forces said the drill, launched by Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir, examined “the alertness and readiness” of the headquarters, the readiness of standby forces, and “the ability to deal with a sudden, complex, multifront and large-scale event.”

The drill was also intended to better prepare the military for the upcoming Jewish holiday period while also testing the implementation of lessons learned from the October 7, 2023, Hamas-led onslaught and the war that followed, the military said.

Most members of the General Staff — including commanders of the military’s commands, directorates and wings — were kept unaware of the exercise, according to the military. The head of the Operations Directorate was the main exception.

Top officers were ordered to rush to their headquarters for the drill and manage an erupting crisis. According to the military, the drill was designed to push the General Staff to its limits, testing how commanders would prioritize forces amid simultaneous “complex” incidents on multiple fronts.

The drill ended with a scenario in which the entire military would be called up, and the IDF would shift to a defensive posture on all fronts.

Among the scenarios tested simultaneously were the infiltration of 10 to 15 terrorists from Lebanon into a border community, a terror attack on Route 60 in the West Bank, an infiltration into a West Bank settlement, rocket attacks on Tel Aviv, and fighting along the Yellow Line in the Gaza Strip.

As part of the simulated scenario, the fighting on the Yellow Line spiraled out of control, allowing terrorists to breach Israeli territory from Gaza and infiltrate three border communities.

One battalion was airlifted by helicopters from central Israel to the Tzeelim training base in the south, where the troops then “recaptured” one of the communities invaded by the simulated terrorists.

During the drill, some military systems were deliberately disrupted to test how commanders would operate without them.

No Iranian ballistic missile attack was simulated, as that would have made the scenario artificially decisive. Instead, the IDF focused on creating operational dilemmas for commanders and testing their decision-making under pressure.

An initial debrief by senior officers found that the IDF’s overall readiness was “very good.” A more extensive review of the drill was expected to take place in the coming days.

Zamir observed the drill from the military’s main command center, as well as touring troops on the ground, the military said. Officers from the IDF Comptroller Unit also carried out examinations at the various headquarters.

Speaking at the IDF’s main underground command center at the military’s Kirya headquarters in Tel Aviv, Zamir said the military was in a “tense and volatile period across all sectors,” ahead of the upcoming Jewish holiday season.

“We are in a tense and volatile period across all sectors, and are preparing for the upcoming holiday period. We continue to draw lessons, and as I have defined it, the baseline posture of the entire IDF is readiness for a surprise attack,” he said, according to remarks published by the army.

“The exercise constitutes a significant part of the IDF’s preparations for the upcoming holiday period,” Zamir said during the assessment.

Later, while visiting troops at the Tzeelim training base, he said the drill was “a message to our enemies.”

“The IDF is capable, prepared and ready to defend the State of Israel, and prepared to act quickly and attack with force anyone who tries to harm us,” Zamir said while visiting troops taking part in the exercise.

“Our message is clear — anyone who tries to harm the State of Israel and its citizens will face a determined, prepared and ready IDF, and will pay an immediate and very heavy price,” he added.