ALBAWABA - The Israeli military held a surprise drill early Sunday morning. It was called "Dawn Rising," and its goal was to see how ready it was for a sudden conflict, such as a full-scale regional war.
The Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper said that the drill started at 5 a.m. and involved the army, police, and Mossad working together to simulate threats from both inside and outside of Israel. The practice used quick-response plans to get ready for events that could happen on more than one front.
There were many possible threats in the training scenario, such as a three-point border breach from Jordan in the south and central parts of the country, drone attacks on Ramon Airport in the Arava Valley, missile and drone attacks on an offshore gas platform, and armed attacks in the West Bank, including on Highway 6.
These fake strikes were meant to happen at the same time, with the events in the West Bank happening at the same time as the Jordanian invasion to weaken defenses. During the first four hours of the drill, Iran fired a fake volley of missiles.
The army looked at how well everyone in charge could talk to each other, how quickly troops could be sent to areas of trouble, and where forces were placed in crisis zones. Special inspection teams were sent to all military areas to check on readiness using situations based on what happened on October 7.
The practice focused on the first 90 minutes of a fight, which are very important before help arrives. All of the army's key headquarters, tactical units, special forces, and parts of the air, sea, and land forces were tested for readiness.
Military leaders said it would be hard to quickly move big groups of troops to the eastern border, both by air and on land. As part of the drill, 15 pickup trucks were used for quick attacks, and air defense units, Golani and Kfir troops, attack helicopters, and navy forces were put to use.
One of the main goals was to be able to move quickly and without notice, so that troops could quickly reach the borders with Jordan and Syria. The army said that, unlike October 7, there were no tactical mistakes during the drill.
Military sources say that the "Dawn Rising" drill was meant to make sure that Israel was ready for quick, complicated, multi-front war in a time of rising regional unrest and changing security dangers.
