Haaretz: Hezbollah's deputy leader said on Sunday that
Israel's decision to hold nation-wide military exercises
this week was intended to prepare for a new war on Lebanon.
Sheik Naim Kassem also warned Sunday that the
Islamic militant group was fully ready to defend
Lebanon if Israel attacks again.
The decision to hold the largest-ever emergency drill
in Israel's history was not caused by fears of escalation
on the borders with Syria and Lebanon, Prime Minister
Ehud Olmert said during a Knesset meeting on Sunday.
Olmert said the goal of the exercises is only to check
the ability of the various areas of the Home Front
Command to carry out their responsibilities, and
has nothing to do with expectations of renewed
fighting in the North.
"Israel is not expecting any violent clashes in the
North," Olmert said, adding that the Syrians "know
they have no reason to assess the drill any differently."
Olmert added that Israel has "an interest in
holding peace talks with Syria, who know full
well what our expectations are, just as we know theirs."
The widespread, week-long civil defense drill
began on Sunday, after a briefing by the commander
of the exercise, Deputy Defense Minister Matan Vilnai.
The operative part of the drill commences on Monday.
It will include, among other scenarios, a simulated
missile attack on civilian areas - some with
chemical warheads.
Participating in the drill are the Home Front Command,
the national emergency authority, government ministries
and emergency services.
The Israel Defense Forces Spokesperson on Sunday
said the aim of the exercise is "to prepare the different
services and institutes operating in the civilian
environment for various emergency situations,"
adding that the exercise was "not planned in
relation to any current events".
At 10 A.M. on Tuesday a siren will be sounded
throughout the country and children from kindergarten
up will practice emergency procedures. State employees
are also expected to drill emergency procedures at
their workplaces.
Immediately afterward, local governments will
join the exercise, following instructions that will
be distributed on the spot.
The exercise will continue throughout the week,
with scenarios that include a simulated hazardous
material spill in the Haifa Bay, the rescue of
survivors from a collapsed building in the Meron
and Nazareth areas and the firing of
ground-to-ground missiles equipped with
chemical warheads.
During the exercise, Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and
Defense Minister Ehud Barak are to conduct situation
reviews and to make decisions based on the various
scenarios as they unfold.
Hezbollah's southern Lebanon commander on Saturday
was quoted as saying the militant group will "follow
closely" the drill.
"Israel's military drill is not a testament of its strength
but of its frustration and despair following its defeat in
the Second Lebanon War," Hezbollah television al-Manar
quoted Nabil Kauk as saying.
According to Lebanese security sources, Hezbollah has
put its militants in a state of full alert ahead of Sunday's
maneuvers.
Lebanese Prime Minister Fuad Siniora on Friday called on
the Lebanese army to raise its alert level, fearing that Israel
may exploit the major military exercise to violate his country's
sovereignty, Israel Radio reported Saturday.
Siniora asked United Nations peacekeepers tasked with
monitoring the border, "to be careful" that Israel will not
utilize its large-scale civil defense drill "to launch operations
capable of increasing tension," a statement from his office
said.
He also urged the Lebanese army to "be extremely vigilant and
take the necessary measures to protect Lebanese civilians and
face up to any Israeli violation."
Lebanese Army commander General Michel Suleiman also said
that he had ordered his troops to raise alert and preparation levels
in all army units until the end of the Israeli military drill.
Hezbollah's commander in south Lebanon, Nabil Kaouk, said
that the guerilla group was closely monitoring Israeli activity
along the border. He added that the civil defense drill is "not a
testament of Israel's strength, but rather evidence of its
frustration and despair," Israel Radio reported.
The Lebanese daily A-Safir quoted senior United Nations
Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) officials as saying that
Israel had asked the force to pass along reassuring messages
to the Lebanese government to assuage any fears regarding
an Israeli attack after the guerilla group Hezbollah and the
Lebanese army began preparing for possible conflict.
The newspaper further reported that Israel made every
effort to assure the Lebanese government that Israel has
no intention of invading its territory as part of the drill.
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