4th Annual “Turning Points” National Home Front Command Exercise
Saturday, May 29th, 2010
The national Home Front Command exercise begins today, May 23rd 2010. The IDF Home Front Command, the National Emergency Authority, search and rescue forces, local Israeli authorities, government offices, security organizations, the education system as well as public and private organizations will participate in the nation wide exercise.
The exercise is aimed at improving national preparedness and responses of the home front to emergencies. The exercise will improve cooperation between the various organizations and institutions and prepare them for different emergency scenarios.
The exercise, taking place for the fourth consecutive year, was scheduled and planned in advance as a part of the IDFs 2010 training plan. This exercise is an additional measure taken by Israel to prepare the public and the local authorities for emergency periods.
Duration : 0:3:14
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has sent a calming message to Lebanon, after Hezbollah declared a heightened state of alert ahead of Israel’s largest ever home front exercise. Hezbollah mobilized thousands of fighters to southern Lebanon ahead of the Israeli drill which Prime Minster Netanyahu explained was “a routine exercise which was scheduled a long time ago, and not the result of an unusual security-related development.” At the start of his weekly cabinet meeting, The Prime Minister explained the exercise is aimed at evaluating the country’s preparedness for various scenarios, including rocket attacks and planting of dirty bomb and hazardous materials. The exercise, which is being held for the fourth year in a row, will include air raid sirens across the country, at workplaces, in schools, in hospitals, in the local authorities and in government offices.