The IDF’s Central Command has launched a drill designed to test the army's readiness for extreme scenarios involving multiple arenas operating simultaneously under manpower constraints.
The exercise should examine the preparedness of the Central Command headquarters to contend with high-intensity situations across multiple fronts simultaneously, while coping with limited personnel.
Among the most concerning scenarios under review, the drill evaluated the possible infiltration of terrorist cells from the Jordanian border.
Security officials pointed to a developing threat of ground infiltration by Houthi operatives, who could enter Jordan via Syria to reach Israel’s border.
Despite the establishment of Division 96 and the commencement of construction on the “Hourglass” fence and a fire control center, security officials warned that criminal organizations are exploiting infiltration routes for drug and weapons smuggling.
Experience showed that the same corridors along the long border could become pathways for terrorist activity.
Drill to test replication of October 7 model in West Bank
The core of the exercise concerned the replication of the October 7 model in the West Bank, a coordinated terrorist raid targeting multiple communities simultaneously. The drill also includes scenarios of mass disturbances throughout the sector, against the backdrop of a possible collapse of the Palestinian Authority following succession struggles over the position of PA chairman.
According to security officials, expectations on the Palestinian side are for a routine re-establishment, ahead of the month of Ramadan, to the conditions that existed before October 7, foremost among them a return to work in Israel.
The central challenge facing Central Command Chief Maj. Gen. Avi Bluth, as analysis indicated, will be managing the crisis under conditions of “force sparsity,” as the IDF Operations Directorate prioritizes operational missions in Lebanon, Syria, and the Gaza Strip.