The Israel Defense Forces held a General Staff exercise on Friday to assess readiness for a surprise attack along the eastern border with Jordan in the areas of the 96th “Gilead” and 80th “Edom” Reserve Divisions, the army said.

IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir drilled the troops who had been called up and examined their preparedness for a variety of scenarios, such as enemy infiltration into communities, responses to drone threats, and complex incidents near the Dead Sea, the IDF said.

The exercise included fighter jets and combat helicopters carrying out dozens of aerial strikes within short time frames, as well as the aerial deployment of special forces for immediate intervention in complex incidents within civilian areas.

Israeli Air Force special forces simulated a terrorist infiltration incident at a hotel in the area, the military added.

At a situational assessment following the drill, Zamir was cited as saying, “One of the main lessons taken from the Oct. 7, [2023], massacre is the need for a high and constant level of readiness for a surprise attack on our borders, from the platoon level to the General Staff. This is what we are practicing here today, a General Staff exercise simulating defense against a wide-scale terrorist attack with complex scenarios in a challenging sector, with the mission of defending our borders and the residents of the area as our top priority.”

He continued, “This exercise includes forces from across the IDF’s units and branches, including many reservists who were called up in the middle of the night for a surprise exercise. I deeply appreciate your tremendous contribution and your repeated mobilization, time and again, in every sector.”

Speaking of the ongoing security challenges across the nation’s borders, Zamir said they “require that we continue strengthening our readiness, proficiency and ability to contend with complex scenarios.”

The IDF chief was joined by OC Operations Directorate Maj. Gen. Itzik Cohen; OC Ground Forces Maj. Gen. Nadav Lotan; OC Central Command Maj. Gen. Avi Bluth; OC 80th Division Brig. Gen. Israel Friedler; and OC 96th Division Brig. Gen Oren Simcha.

‘The path to victory goes through a disciplined military’

Zamir addressed the issue of military discipline and the values that guide the IDF on the backdrop of his disciplining a soldier for wearing a “Messiah” patch on his uniform earlier this week.

“This is not about one symbol or another symbol; it is about the appearance of the IDF and the unity of the IDF. That unity is what connects all of us, and therefore we have the unit insignia and, above all, most importantly, the flag of Israel. The flag of Israel—we are all united around this flag, and we are all prepared to sacrifice and die for this flag. The flag of Israel is the flag to which we swore allegiance. It is a Jewish, Zionist and Israeli symbol,” he said, according to the IDF Spokesperson’s Unit.

“We must understand that the path to victory goes through a disciplined, competent and well-trained military, with fighting spirit and a very strong sense of mission. That is the IDF, this is how we build the IDF, and this is how we will continue strengthening the IDF even during this very demanding period,” Zamir said.

“Our test comes precisely during a period in which we have already been at war for more than two-and-a-half years. Two-and-a-half years, that is unprecedented. Therefore, the test of mission, values, norms and discipline is expressed specifically during wartime, and it is precisely there that we need to be especially strict on these matters; otherwise, the framework could fall apart.”

The IDF chief, during a visit to a Nahal Brigade company stationed in Sa-Nur in northern Samaria, sentenced the Messiah patch-wearing soldier to a month in prison, leading to an uproar in the media. The sentence has since been reportedly reduced.

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