- Title: ISRAEL: Israel's army holds home-front defence drill amid Iran debate
- Date: 4th November 2011
- Summary: HOLON, ISRAEL (NOVEMBER 3, 2011) (REUTERS) MOCK MISSILE CORDONED DURING ISRAELI SECURITY FORCES DRILL, AS MOCK INJURED PEOPLE LAYING ON LAWN (AUDIO: SIREN) PEOPLE LAYING ON GROUND POSING AS INJURED (AUDIO: SIREN) SOLDIERS WEARING CHEMICAL PROTECTION GEAR, WALKING NEAR AMBULANCES VARIOUS OF MEDICAL TEAM MEMBERS TENDING TO MOCK INJURED COMMANDER OF THE DAN REGION COLON
- Embargoed: 19th November 2011 12:00
- Keywords:
- Location: Israel, Israel
- Country: Israel
- Topics: International Relations,Politics
- Reuters ID: LVA6W7UC47Z6NX6TMI0AEFGYDM6I
- Story Text: Israelis took part in a drill on Thursday (November 3) that simulated a missile attack in the centre of the country, but the military dismissed any connection between the exercise and recent speculation of a possible military confrontation with Iran.
Such drills are common in Israel and the military said this specific exercise had been planned months in advance.
Sirens sounded in the Holon area as ambulance workers and soldiers, some wearing masks and equipment to protect against chemical weapons, simulated treating wounded near a school.
"What we will see in the next few hours is a non-conventional rocket that lands here and we will have to see how we deal with it, how we deal with the rocket itself, how we deal with the civilians and soldiers who will be injured from this rocket. And we will take them from here to the hospital and clear a whole area we are in," Dan region commander Adam Zusman told reporters at the scene.
There has been a week-long surge of speculation in local media that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was working to secure cabinet consensus for an attack on Iranian nuclear installations.
On Wednesday (November 2), Israel test-fired a missile from a military base. Local media had described it as a ballistic missile.
"This drill was part of the scheduled training program for 2011 and is not influenced by the current events," the military said in a written statement.
Israeli leaders have long said that all options are on the table in tackling Iran's nuclear ambitions, but they have thrown support behind international sanctions led by the United States meant to curb the Islamic Republic's nuclear programme.
The United Nations' nuclear watchdog is expected to publish this month intelligence pointing to military dimensions to Iran's nuclear activities but stopping short of saying explicitly that Tehran is trying to build atom bombs.
Tehran, which wants Israel's demise, denies this, saying it is enriching uranium only to power reactors for electricity generation. Israel, widely believed to have the Middle East's sole atomic arsenal, sees a nuclear-armed Iran as an existential threat.
Israel has said that most of its homefront is already in range of rockets being stockpiled by Iranian-supported groups like Hezbollah in Lebanon and Palestinian militant organizations in the Gaza Strip. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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