Zamir tells commanders IDF must start training again after two years of war

Emanuel (Mannie) Fabian is The Times of Israel's military correspondent

IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir (center) and Northern Command chief Maj. Gen. Rafi Milo (left) are seen at a drill in northern Israel, October 21, 2025. (Israel Defense Forces)
IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir (center) and Northern Command chief Maj. Gen. Rafi Milo (left) are seen at a drill in northern Israel, October 21, 2025. (Israel Defense Forces)

IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir tells commanders that the military must return to carrying out training after two years of war.

“Alongside the continuation of operational activity, thwarting threats and maintaining a high level of alertness, you must return to training and improve readiness for war across all sectors,” Zamir said during a visit yesterday to an ongoing major drill along the Lebanon border.

The 91st “Galilee” Division’s drill, which began on Sunday and will conclude on Thursday, is one of the largest exercises conducted by the army in the past two years. The IDF says it is the first “full division-level drill” since the start of the war.

The drill follows Zamir’s directive to all military commands and branches to “return to training to continue improving the IDF’s preparedness for war across all sectors.”

The military says the drill has involved various defensive and offensive scenarios, “as well as an assessment of the division’s readiness and capability.”

The IDF warned that explosions may be heard, there will be troops acting as an opposing force — including flying paragliders — and there will be an increased movement of drones, aircraft, Navy vessels, and troops in the Galilee.

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