After the IDF Intelligence hinted about the readiness of Hezbollah to a limited confrontation with Israel, the army completed the “Lightning Storm” exercise on Wednesday, which trained the cooperation between different units near the Lebanese border.
The IDF said that “part of the exercise featured the application of the lessons learned from the recent operational events on the Lebanese border; the battle procedures and operational plans were sharpened against the backdrop of possible escalation; and the cooperation between intelligence collection, air support, intelligence and fire systems was practiced.”
The exercise also included the operation of the IDF’s unified target attack system – the “Circle of Fire.”
Troops from the Northern Command took part in the exercise, along with other forces from the Air Force and Navy, the Computer Service and Cyber Defense Directorate, the Intelligence Directorate, and the Israel Police.
IDF Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Aviv Kochavi, visited the exercise on Wednesday and examined the readiness of the forces on the ground for defense and attack scenarios, including sudden operational events on the border, accumulation of forces, rapid use of fire, and the defense of northern towns.
Brig.-Gen. Shlomi Binder, OC of the 91st Division, said that “the exercise we conducted improved our preparedness against Hezbollah.
“We raised the competence of our forces and commanders for wartime; we learned and improved, understanding the necessity of taking swift offensive action and utilizing creativity on the battlefield. The Northern Command and the 91st Division will continue to operate as necessary to provide security for the residents of the north,” Binder said.