The IDF and the Defense Ministry have begun distributing weapons and equipment containers to the local standby squads in northern communities, they said in a joint statement on Tuesday.
During the coming weeks, the IDF and the Defense Ministry will complete the placement of containers and the distribution of equipment to the standby squads in other localities as well.
The distribution of weapons is part of the wider "Mashiv Harauch" program
The distribution of weapons to the standby squads of the northern communities is being carried out simultaneously with the distribution in the Gaza border communities as part of the "Mashiv Harauch" program to strengthen the standby squads and the communities around the borders.
Each community will receive weapons, ceramic vests, and helmets purchased and tested to the highest standards. In addition, medical and logistical equipment will also be distributed, the statement said.
Standby squads will be trained accordingly
The statement added that in parallel to the procurement of equipment, the standby squads in the northern communities will be trained in accordance with the plan purposefully designed by the IDF.
Alon Friedman, Brig.-Gen. (res.) in the Northern Command, commented on the effort: "As part of the ongoing effort to strengthen the defense line in the north, we have begun to carry out a significant part of the process of equipping the standby squads in the sector.
The members of the standby squads demonstrate great steadfastness and resilience, and we are proud to stand together with them in the defense of the northern border of the State of Israel. We understand the magnitude of the hour and the responsibility that rests on our shoulders and are at a very high level of readiness along the border and in the settlements."
The procurement and equipment plan is being carried out under the leadership of the General Directorate for Settlement Rehabilitation in the IDF's Planning Division, the Northern Command, and Home Front Command, among others, along with divisions and units in the Ministry of Defense.