Army holds major drill on northern border

The army announces it has wrapped a major two-week drill on the northern border simulating concurrent wars on the Lebanese and Syrian fronts for the first time.

The drill was designed to prepare troops for a long-term conflict, according to the army, and came amid heightened tensions with Lebanese terror group Hezbollah, following the reported Israeli assassination of Samir Kuntar, a major figure in the organization.

GOC Northern Command Aviv Kochavi says in a statement that the exercise was designed to simulate a fight against Hezbollah and the Islamic Jihad terror group on the two fronts.

“We simulated vast maneuvers, substantial fire power, and attack of thousands of targets in all combat areas, with high efficiency, including residential areas exploited by the enemy,” he says.

The exercise was planned ahead of time and was not related to the current situation, the army says.