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Live UpdateFrom the Liveblog of Friday, April 7, 2023
IDF chief says pilots, drone operators, air defense reservists to be called up
Emanuel (Mannie) Fabian is The Times of Israel's military correspondent.
IDF Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi (left) at an assessment with senior commanders amid a multifront escalation, April 7, 2023. (Israel Defense Forces)
Military chief Herzi Halevi has instructed the Israel Defense Forces to call up an unspecified number of reservist soldiers amid heightened tensions across the region.
In a statement following an assessment, Halevi says the call-up will be focused on air defense units and the “air attack arrays,” meaning fighter jet pilots and attack drone operators, as well as other aircrew.
Halevi also instructs the IDF to strengthen defenses in the Central Command, following a deadly shooting attack in the West Bank.
The IDF is currently searching for the suspects who carried out the attack, which left two sisters dead and their mother critically hurt.
