IDF Chief of the General Staff LTG Eyal Zamir on Friday visited the surprise General Staff exercise, in the eastern border area.
He was joined by the Head of the Operations Directorate, MG Itzik Cohen; the Commander of the Ground Forces, MG Nadav Lotan; the Commander of the Central Command, MG Avi Bluth; the Commander of the 80th Division, BG Israel Friedler; the Commander of the 96th Division, BG Oren Simcha; and additional commanders.
During the visit, the Chief of the General Staff held a situational assessment, drilled the division’s troops who had been called up, and examined their preparedness for a variety of scenarios.
"One of the main lessons taken from the October 7th 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," Zamir said during the visit. "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 added, "This exercise is an important and significant drill that reflects the lessons we have learned and implemented, as well as the great importance we place on these sectors. It is our duty to strengthen our preparedness and remain alert and vigilant in the face of a surprise attack scenario. A force capable of arriving quickly at a deadly scene can contain the incident in its initial stages and reduce its scope. We activated multi-domain reserve and standby troops, including aerial support and the deployment of special forces by air - all of this is what we are practicing today."
"We are in the midst of an ongoing multi-front operation, and the significant challenges before us require that we continue strengthening our readiness, proficiency, and ability to contend with complex scenarios. We must now conduct a professional review of the exercise, draw the necessary lessons, so that we can improve and correct what is needed.
"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."