By Stan Goodenough
May 29, 2009
Surrounded by enemies on every side as well as inside their country, Israel will Sunday launch a massive military exercise to help ready the nation for a full-scale war.
Operation 'Turning Point 3' is set to last for five days, and will simulate a simultaneous war against the Hamas in Gaza, the Hizb'allah in Lebanon, the Syrian army, the Palestinian Arabs in Judea and Samaria and Israel's Arab citizens, who are expected to riot and in other ways assist Israel's enemies in the case of such a war.
Israel National News described parts of the exercise, which is intended to test Israel's preparedness at all levels, from the government down to the citizen in the street. It is also meant to check the coordination between local authorities and the various military and other organizations involved:
The five-day simulation involves scenarios in which Israel is attacked by first by the Hamas terrorist organization, followed by an escalation which leads to an attack by the Lebanon-based Hizb'allah guerrilla group from the north, joined by Syria. The scenario includes rioting and terror attacks from within by Palestinian Authority Arabs, as well as Israel's own Arab citizens. Missile attacks on Israel's civilian population, a 60-day ground war in Gaza and a conflict in the north are all part of the plan, which begins at the end of a three month-long escalation in tensions between Israel and its Arab neighbors. The various scenarios will include a natural disaster, an operational malfunction at a hazardous materials (HazMat) facility and/or an epidemic, in addition to the war and major terror attack.
Provocative pro-Arab media like Press TV have charged that Israel's self-defense exercise could "ignite all out regional war."
The Lebanese government has put its army on high alert along the border with Israel, and has lodged complaints with the United Nations. Hizb'allah, too, has said it will place its terrorist forces on a ready footing.
But Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that the exercise "is a routine drill that was planned several months ago and is held annually."