Israel Holds Major Missile Defense Drill
Israel began a major civil defense drill in the Tel Aviv region on Thursday aimed at simulating the response to conventional and non-conventional missile attacks, the military said.
"The rescue units of the civil defense, police, fire service and Magen David Adom (emergency services) will participate in the exercise," an army statement said.
The exercise began shortly after 10:00 am (0800 GMT) with the sounding of sirens for a full minute and a half throughout the region around the coastal city of Tel Aviv.
Rescue teams were then dispatched to "evacuate hundreds of wounded after conventional and non-conventional missile attacks" to hospitals participating in the simulation, civil defense official Colonel Adam Zussman told army radio.
"We are going to test all the possible scenarios, including attacks causing significant damage," he said.
Israeli media reported that evacuation and absorption centers would be opened across the region and that gas masks would be distributed.
Military officials said the exercise was long planned, but it comes as speculation in Israel grows about the possibility of a pre-emptive strike against Iran, with media reporting that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is seeking cabinet support for such an operation.
A poll published by the Haaretz daily on Thursday found Israeli public opinion divided on a strike against Iran's nuclear facilities, with 41 percent in favor, 39 percent opposed and 20 percent undecided.
Source: Agence France Presse
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