The IDF launched a series of surprise drills on Sunday along the southern border with the Gaza Strip, expected to last the entire day.
Southern Command Chief Major General Shlomo Turgeman announced the drills, which include special air force flyover exercises over the Gaza belt area. The exercises come more than six months after a bloody 50-day war between Israel and terrorists in the Strip.
Ground troops are being prepared for a number of possible scenarios in fighting terrorist insurgents in both Israel and Gaza. Security vehicles are patrolling the border and loud explosions can be heard in the region as part of controlled explosions.
The IDF said that Sunday’s exercise is part of a range of activities that will take place throughout the year to improve the operational readiness and competence of the army.
The drills are being carried out just a few months after a State Comptroller’s report found a lack of readiness in the IDF reserves following Operation Protective Edge.
The report found that reserves were under-trained to the point where, in the future, they may not be able to carry out wartime missions.
Sunday’s drills are the second major army exercises to take place in the last month since the IDF swore in its new Chief of Staff, General Gadi Eizenkott.
