Israel Launches Its Largest Domestic Military Exercise in Years Two Days Before Its Election, as an Analyst Cites 1973
The IDF drill runs 48 hours across northern and central Israel with four divisions and the air force. One analyst calls it a message to Iran and its proxies and warns of miscalculation.
Israel began large-scale domestic military exercises Sunday to practice countering surprise border infiltrations and ground raids, Fox News reports.
The drill. It is set to run 48 hours and involves the Northern Command's 210th Division, the West Bank Division, the Central Command's 98th and 96th divisions and the Israeli Air Force. The IDF said it will keep forces alert, strengthen the defense of communities and use aerial capabilities. Troops are to practice scenarios including "a surprise attack and infiltration into Israeli territory by air and land," using lessons from the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas-led attacks.
The analyst's read. Dr. Ehud Eilam, an Israeli security analyst and former Defense Ministry researcher, told Fox the exercise is "mostly about non-state actors with or without Iranian support," meaning groups in Syria, Lebanon and Jordan. He called it the biggest in recent years, meant to keep election day, Oct. 27, running smoothly and to tell Iran and others "don't try to provoke us."
The 1973 warning. Eilam noted that Egypt and Syria used exercises to hide preparations before the 1973 Yom Kippur War, and said large drills carry a "risk of miscalculation" if each side suspects the other. He added: "Right now, both sides are signaling: 'We are ready, don't mess with us, but we don't want to start a war right now.'"
The backdrop. Fox says Iran's Revolutionary Guard fired about 30 ballistic missiles in a show of force days earlier, which prompted Israel to raise its alert. IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir said on Wednesday that the "potential for escalation has increased" and that the 98th Division was moved in. Fox also reports an Oct. 19 flight in which Israeli jets and tankers flew 800 miles to Iran's border, with Washington notified in advance. Whether Israel attacks Iran "depends on U.S. authorization," Eilam said.
Note for readers: the analysis comes from one expert, and the reports of the Iranian missile test and the Oct. 19 flight are Fox's summary of other reports, which we did not verify. We covered Trump's endorsement of Netanyahu and the election earlier.