Israel does not want a war with the Lebanese Hezbollah but is preparing to receive a record of some 2,000 rockets per day if an armed conflict breaks out between the two camps, a senior military official told AFP on Sunday.
In the wake of strong protests in May in East Jerusalem, the Islamist movement Hamas, in power in the Gaza Strip, launched rocket salutes at major cities in Israel, which immediately responded, resulting in 11 days of war.
In total, around 4,400 rockets were fired into Israeli territory from the Palestinian enclave, exceeding the pace of the last war (2006) with Hezbollah, where a similar number of rockets were launched from Lebanon but over a period of time. 'a month, according to the IDF.
300 rockets shot down in Israel
Israel's "Iron Dome" missile shield, in service for about a decade, intercepted most of the rockets launched in May from Gaza, but just under 300 of them fell in populated areas in Israel.
As a result, cities like the metropolis Tel Aviv or Ashdod (south) have suffered their "greatest number of shots" since the creation of the country, said in an interview with AFP the Israeli General Uri Gordin.
“If there was a conflict or war with Hezbollah, we would expect there to be at least five times as many rockets fired each day from Lebanon into Israel.
That would make between 1,500 and 2,500 rockets, ”
added this high-ranking officer, at the head of“ Home Front Command ”(“ Home Front Command ”, Editor's note).
Established in 1992, after the first Gulf War, this branch of the Israeli army is in charge of civil defense, that is to say, it is responsible for preparing the country in case of threats, conflict or disasters.
In 2006, the Home Front Command was criticized for its response to the war with Lebanese Hezbollah, which left more than 1,200 dead on the Lebanese side, mostly civilians, and 160 on the Israeli side, mostly military.
This war served as a "wake-up call" to the Home Front Command, which has since reinforced its liaison units, deployed today in the 250 Israeli municipalities to provide relief in the event of attacks, underlines Mr. Gordin, sitting in the control room of the HQ of this branch based in Ramla, near Tel Aviv.