'Gas mask delay a concern as enemies acquire better missiles'

OC Home Front Command warns that Israel will find itself facing missile threats on a numer of fronts in next 5 years.

By YAAKOV KATZ
gas mask 88 (photo credit: )
gas mask 88
(photo credit: )
In the coming five years, Israel will find itself facing missile threats on a number of fronts, with enemies capable of firing warheads containing hundreds of kilograms of explosives into Israeli cities, OC Home Front Command Maj.-Gen. Yair Golan warned on Sunday. "In five years, all of our enemies will be able to launch missiles and rockets with warheads ranging between 200-300 kilograms," Golan said, during a conference on the home front's preparedness for war at the Institute for National Security Studies (INSS) in Tel Aviv. Golan said that while the threat seemed grave, the IDF was capable of dealing with it effectively and preparing the civilian population accordingly. Nevertheless, the general expressed concern with the delay in redistributing gas masks to the public, announcing, as revealed in The Jerusalem Post earlier this month, that the masks would not be returned in the beginning of 2009 as initially planned. "We are in a bad situation when it comes to personal protection," Golan said. Golan said that Israel has somewhat increased the amount of time it has to warn the population of incoming missiles. "Today we know how to broadcast a warning on the radio, TV and Internet," he said. "In the future we will know how to do it also via a cellular phone." Deputy Defense Minister Matan Vilna'i also addressed the conference and warned that Hamas was using the cease-fire in the Gaza Strip to increase the range and improve the accuracy of the homemade Kassam rocket. According to a plan drawn up by the newly formed National Emergency Administration and overseen by Vilna'i, by the end of the year every locality will have drafted and approved a plan for how to run their cities during a war. In addition, the IDF Home Front Command will start a special course this week to train officers how to serve as liaisons to councils and municipalities and to assist mayors at a time of war. "The councils and municipalities need to be responsible for the population in face of these threats," Vilnai said. "We are working on reinforcing the councils and in the coming months, the Home Front Command will station officers as liaisons in over 250 councils and cities across the country." INSS researcher Meir Elran said that despite the outcome of the Second Lebanon War, Israel was still not sufficiently prepared for a missile onslaught. "We are not advancing as fast as our enemies are," Elran said.