IOF Wraps Up Major Military Drill in Cyprus

By Staff, Agencies

The “Israeli” Occupation Forces [IOF] concluded its one-month long drill on Thursday as thousands of soldiers participated in a military ground offensive exercise in Cyprus.

The drill simulated IOF's ability to operate deep inside enemy territory such as Lebanon and combine massive forces such as infantry, tanks, engineering forces, and other elite units to halt possible rocket fire from the Lebanese resistance group Hezbollah.

The IOF explained that Hezbollah's military force had grown very strong in the past 16 years since the July 2006 War, and largely spread its capabilities and its many assets to central and northern Lebanon.

These assets include many command posts that are responsible for mobilization of forces, areas of troop assembly, of the Radwan brigades, that has been preparing to infiltrate the “Israeli”-occupied Palestinian territories, long-range rocket launchers, precision missiles, and other military maneuvers.

This was the first time the IOF conducted an exercise for a ground offensive deep inside the enemy territory with such large numbers of elite units and special forces, outside the entity’s borders, to prepare for large-scale war.

A main component of the exercise was the ability to urgently transport hundreds of soldiers to a point deep in enemy territory, using the top Cypriot Troodos Mountains – which are very similar to the Lebanese terrain – with ten Black Hawk helicopters accompanied by six Apache war helicopters.

The forces also practiced raids on fortified Hezbollah outposts, using the countryside outside villages in the Island's Paphos area.

"This is the culmination of one of the biggest and most extensive drills we've held in years," the “Israeli” entity’s War Minister Benny Gantz said Tuesday after a brief visit to Cyprus.

Besides Hezbollah, the exercises also simulated a possible confrontation with the “Israeli” entity’s arch enemy Iran.

"We are continuously preparing and training for many scenarios including threats from Iran," the military said in a statement at the conclusion of the exercises, which were partially conducted jointly with Cypriot forces.

"Dozens of ‘Israeli’ Air Force fighter jets conducted aerial drills over the Mediterranean Sea to practice fights far away from our borders, and striking distant targets. The aircraft also simulated long-range flights and aerial refueling." The IOF said.

On Thursday, the “Israeli” military said personnel from "missile ship and submarine flotillas" had completed a "complex and lengthy training drill in the Red Sea".

"This extended training drill simulated various scenarios, including achieving maritime superiority and maintaining freedom of movement in the area," the military said.