Israel Matzav

Massive civil exercise in Israel this week, massive underground shelter opens in Tel Aviv

The Jerusalem Post tries to call attention to the perils that face this country in light of the announcement of the launch of a new Iranian satellite on Thursday. This is from the first link.

Three recent news items serve to underscore our challenging reality. Iran last week launched an “observation satellite,” the infrastructure for which could easily be deployed to deliver nuclear or other warheads. An Israeli civil defense exercise is scheduled to start today and continue for five days. It will simulate massive rocket barrages. Finally, we are informed that a huge underground shelter – designed to safeguard thousands from incoming missiles – has been inaugurated under the refurbished parking lot between the Habimah Theater and the Mann Auditorium in the very heart of cosmopolitan Tel Aviv.

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Nonetheless, hardly any international attention was paid to the fact that Iran has just demonstrated, yet again, that it assiduously upgrades its rocketry. The technology that propels satellites into space can be adapted and used for intercontinental ballistic missiles.

In theory these could be aimed against any country, certainly in Europe. Yet since the Iranian regime principally directs it vitriol and invective against Israel, it is assumed that the Jewish state constitutes the primary target, and that appears to mitigate international angst.

Still greater indifference greeted the first glimpses of the massive underground shelter constructed and outfitted to offer protection to thousands of Israelis in a variety of doomsday scenarios – nuclear, chemical and conventional.

In ordinary times the 3,740 square-meter shelter space would serve as a four-story underground parking facility, yet each of the four floors is also outfitted with such seemingly incongruous features as decontamination showers for use in the event of a chemical attack, filters against an assortment of unconventional WMDs and emergency medical clinics for triage and first aid to casualties. The very fact that such a complex is at all deemed necessary in the 21st century speaks volumes.

The same goes for the civil defense drill this week that is aimed at preparing us for the dangers of rocket onslaughts from Iran, Syria, Lebanon and Gaza – throughout the country and at all hours of the day and night. Air raid sirens will sound mid-morning on Wednesday to test preparedness in workplaces and schools. Another siren in the evening will gauge preparedness in the homes. In both cases, the public will be asked to locate the closest secure room and/or bomb shelter.

The very fact that such dry-run rehearsals are indispensable, to say nothing of their specificities and scope, attests all-too palpably to the fact that we live in a highrisk zone and must unfortunately prepare for circumstances far from the normalization to which we aspire.

Were Israel surrounded by sincere peace partners, of course, no such dire maneuvers would be required, while genuine compromises and coexistence would be eminently attainable.

At least we're not deluding ourselves and are preparing for reality.

What could go wrong?

Labels: civil defense exercise, Hamas, Hezbullah, Iranian nuclear threat, Syria, underground shelter

posted by Carl in Jerusalem @ 7:59 AM