Officers accuse: The IDF does not take the chemical threat on the northern border seriously

Training has been reduced, knowledge gaps between the Home Front Command and the fighters have widened and the State Comptroller has also determined that control is deficient.

Despite the fear of chemical weapons being leaked to Hezbollah and in the background of the report of an attack on chemical facilities in Syria, officers claim that the army is not prepared to deal with the threat.

IDF: "Reviews on the subject take place from time to time"

Amir Bohbot

21/12/2021

Tuesday, 21 December 2021, 22:22 Updated: Wednesday, 22 December 2021, 22:22

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In the video: An attack attributed to Israel in Latakia (from Syrian television broadcasts)

Is Israel prepared to deal with a chemical weapons attack on the northern border?

Against the background of reports in the foreign media about an attack on production facilities and possession of chemical weapons in Syria last June, which was attributed to Israel, IDF officers claim that the ground arm headquarters reduced training to deal with chemical weapons, accusing them of "not addressing the issue seriously."

"There is a significant gap between the threat as reported in the media, and the general readiness of the divisions for such extreme scenarios and the battalions serving at the border," say Northern Command officers. "To our understanding, according to the reference threat determined by the General Staff and the professionals in the Armed Forces, there is no high level of alertness against the use of chemical weapons and therefore the level of training accordingly. "Some of us have learned from the media about the progress of chemical weapons infrastructure in Syria." Officers in the land arm also claim that there is a gap between the professional knowledge accumulated over the years in the Home Front Command and the level of readiness and knowledge , Competency erodes over time.

About a week ago, the defense establishment expressed concern about the leakage of chemical weapons from Syria to Hezbollah.

Last October it was published in Walla!

The Home Front Command estimates that Hezbollah will try to use sedatives against civilians and IDF soldiers in future fighting. In this matter, too, officers say that the IDF is not prepared to deal with such a threat on the northern border.

More on Walla!

The defense establishment fears that chemical weapons are leaking from Syria to Hezbollah: "The situation is worrying"

To the full article

More on Walla!

• Report: Israel attacked chemical weapons production facilities in Syria in June

Golani Warriors Training, 2003 (Photo: Government Press Office, Yoav Gutman)

The State Comptroller's report for 2020, which examined the IDF's readiness to deal with chemical weapons, emphasized from the outset that the land arm does not monitor the readiness to prepare for the threat, and that the Battalion regiments do not train as required.

The Comptroller further stated that the responsibility for managing the AAC equipment sector (atomic, biological and chemical) remained decentralized between the land arm, the Home Front Command and the Air Force, although already in 2014 it was decided that this responsibility would be imposed exclusively on the Home Front Command, noting IBA glasses are issued to soldiers who wear eyeglasses.

In the Washington Post more than a week ago, the Israeli Air Force attacked in June this year infrastructure for the production of chemical weapons by the Assad regime's army in Syria.

The newspaper reported the attack on three targets in Damascus and Homs, during which seven soldiers were killed.

Since the publication, the defense establishment has maintained wireless silence and has not addressed it directly.

IDF: "The scenario has been combined with a number of exercises"

The IDF rejected the allegations, saying that the army "was prepared to respond routinely and urgently to a biological biological threat."

Defense exercise against the PLO fighter at the Palmach Air Force Base, 2002 (Photo: Government Press Office, Avi Ohayon)

"In accordance with this threat, which has changed in recent years, there are power building plans. Trainings and training in this area are led by the Home Front Command and the Engineering Corps, in accordance with the reference threat determined by the General Staff echelon," the IDF spokesman said.

"Reviews on the subject are conducted from time to time under the leadership of the Home Front Command, and a scenario of biological-chemical threat has been combined in several exercises this year, including the 'National Home Front' exercise. "An orderly training graph. With regard to materials that blur the boundaries, the Home Front Command conducts inspections on the subject, in order to test and practice the competence in the field."

However, officers say that is not enough.

"There is a difference between the headquarters exercise and the battalions' field exercises," they said of the IDF spokesman's response. "There is no serious reference to the issue."

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