Live Update
From the Liveblog of
Thursday, December 7, 2023
IDF tells public firing ranges will remain closed to hikers during Hanukkah festival this year

Illustrative: An IDF soldier during training in the Golan Heights on December 15, 2014. (Matan Portnoy/IDF Spokesperson's Unit/Flickr)
The Israel Defense Forces announces that it will not open its firing ranges to hikers over the Hanukkah festival.
“The IDF will continue to carry out exercises in training areas (firing ranges) throughout the country during the weekend. We emphasize that entering the training areas is prohibited and poses a danger to life and harms the activities of the forces,” the military says in a statement.
It also warns residents living near such ranges that they could hear gunfire and explosions.
Ordinarily, the military opens up its vast training areas to the public during holidays and in the spring.
The eight-day Hanukkah festival starts tonight.