Nationwide drill to simulate war, intifada
'Turning Point 3' exercise to be launched next Sunday with 'battle in Gaza',
shifting to 'war' in northern Israel. Forces to also practice uprising by
Israel's Arabs. PM Netanyahu: It's just a routine drill
Roni Sofer YNET Published: 05.25.09, 07:15 / Israel News
www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3720899,00.html

Israel's most extensive nationwide drill will be launched next Sunday with a
"battle in Gaza", spreading into a "war" in northern Israel as well. In
addition, the forces will practice a scenario of uprising and rioting by
Israel's Arabs.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu attempted to convey a calming message to
Israel's neighboring countries during Sunday's cabinet meeting, saying that
"this is a routine drill, which was planned several months ago and is held
every year in order to coordinate between civil and military systems."

The "Turning Point 3" exercise will begin on May 31 and will last five days.
The drill will be operated by the Defense Ministry with the assistance of
the National Emergency Authority. It is aimed at training the Israeli home
front, from the government level down to the plain citizen level, and will
simulate a comprehensive regional war.

According to the scenario, the war will involve Hamas, Hizbullah and Syria.
Palestinians will carry out terror attacks, and Israel's Arabs will riot in
masses.

The Political-Security Cabinet will practice the various scenarios, while
the Israel Defense Forces will mobilize forces in accordance with the
occurrences. The proposed scenario simulates an escalation lasting three
months, reaching its peak with an overall attack on Israel.

The outline of the drill has been presented to the government ministers. The
overall war scenario begins with an escalation on the Gaza front, which
leads to an IDF ground offensive. After 60 days of fighting in Gaza,
tensions in the north heat up. The army is forced to enlist reserve forces
and launches a war on the northern front.

During the war, the Israeli home front will be hit by barrages of missiles.
Simultaneously, a terror offensive will develop and extensive riots will
take place across the country.

Air raid siren to sound across country
The drill will kick off on Sunday with an exercise to the ministers at the
weekly cabinet meeting. Monday will see the IDF, Home Front Command,
Emergency Economy, Israel Police, government ministries and local
authorities take part in the drill.

On Tuesday, an air raid siren will be sounded across the country, roads will
be blocked and citizens and school students will practice entering bomb
shelters. The Political-Security Cabinet and national information system
will take part in the drill on Wednesday. On Thursday, the last day of the
drill, IDF corps will hold field exercises and the training of the Home
Front Command headquarters will continue.

As part of the drill, the cooperation between organizations and the local
authorities will be examined. In addition to the war scenarios, the forces
will also practice a major terror attack, a natural disaster, an epidemic or
an operational malfunction in a hazardous materials facility.

Last week, the Israel Air Force held a three-day drill that included various
scenarios and staged fronts the force may have to handle. Pilots also
practiced a number of combat maneuvers. The drill was annual, but
incorporated scenarios relevant to the current threats faced by Israel. As
part of the drill, members of the IAF were briefed on Iran's test-launch of
its new missile, the Sajjil-2, which has been said to pose a threat to
Israel's security