Massive civil defense drill planned for May

The scenario that will include an all-out war with Iran, Syria, Hizbullah and Hamas.

By YAAKOV KATZ
In the face of the growing missile threat Israel faces from Iran, Syria, Hizbullah and Hamas, the Defense Ministry is planning a large-scale nationwide civil defense exercise in May that will be aimed at preparing citizens for missile strikes.
Called Turning Point 4, the exercise will last a week and will start in the end of May. It will include 40 different local authorities, which will be asked to present plans for how they deal with missiles falling in their cities. Schools with dormitories will also hold a special drill in the evening to see that the students know what to do, even when at school.
Defense officials said that the scenario that will be drilled will include an all-out war with Iran, Syria, Hizbullah and Hamas.
During the exercise, the Home Front Command will also hold a drill in Tel Aviv to test emergency procedures for the distribution of gas masks in the event of a chemical or biological attack against Israel before the distribution of gas masks to the public is completed. Syria is known to have an extensive chemical weapons capability.
Like Turning Point 3 that was held last year, sirens will sound nationwide and the public will be asked to locate the closest secure room and bomb shelter.
“This will be a comprehensive exercise like the ones that we have held in the past,” a senior defense official said.
The drill will begin in the middle of the simulated conflict with a cabinet meeting led by Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Ehud Barak, together with officials from the Melah emergency economic forum which is responsible for running commercial institutions during times of war and national disaster.