Israel Matzav

Massive civil defense drill held in Tel Aviv area

With both Hamas and Hezbullah threatening that Tel Aviv will be the first target in the event of another war, a massive civil defense drill was held in the Tel Aviv area on Thursday.

Participating in the drill were NBC (nuclear, biological and chemical) units and national reserves forces especially called up for the exercise. The Holon City Council, Edith Wolfson Medical Center in Holon, Magen David Adom emergency services, firefighters and police forces also joined in.

A siren sounded at 10:05 am across the Tel Aviv metropolitan area, including in Holon, Bat Yam, Ramat Gan, Tel Aviv, Giv'atayim, Giv'at Shmuel, Bnei Brak, Kiryat Ono, Ganei Tikva, Savyon, Yehud and Or Yehuda.

The siren might have also been heard in Ramat HaSharon, Petah Tikva, Gat Rimon, Kfar Ma'as, Be'erot Yitzhak, Beit Dagan, and Rishon Lezion.

During the drill, Israeli forces simulated a mass casualty event in which some 400 citizens and soldiers were injured by rocket attacks, including chemical warheads, and evacuated to Wolfson Hospital.

Home Front Command officials stressed the drill was planned in advance, prior to the robust public debate in Israel concerning the possibility of an armed conflict with Iran.

I suspect that this really is connected to Iran, but of course, we'd rather they not know in advance when we're coming.

Labels: civil defense exercise, Hamas, Hezbullah, Iran, Tel Aviv

posted by Carl in Jerusalem @ 4:27 PM