From the Liveblog of
Thursday, August 14, 2025
IDF evacuates training base after power outages in scorching heat
Emanuel (Mannie) Fabian is The Times of Israel's military correspondent
The IDF evacuated a training base in the southern Negev Desert this morning after the facility suffered power outages amid a record-setting heatwave, the military says.
Soldiers at the Sayarim Base — close to Eilat — which houses the Border Defense Corps school, endured temperatures of 48° C (118° F) without air conditioning for hours yesterday due to the blackouts.
The IDF says it expedited the release of the trainees for their weekend furlough, sending them home this morning instead of tomorrow, as the power issue has not yet been fixed on the entire base.
The army says that to secure the base, it has left behind a company of troops who are stationed in air-conditioned rooms where the electricity was repaired.
The Times of Israel Community.