Officers in the IDF Central Command recently participated in a two-day seminar aimed at strengthening their abilities to deal with riots, acts of terror and other threats. The seminar was attended by senior IDF commanders and took place at a major training base.

According to Central District Commander Major-General Nitzan Alon, there has been an increase in attempts to commit terrorist attacks in Israel’s central region. “We are seeing an increase in terrorism, and improvements at the operational level are very important. One of our goals today is to become a system that learns. I want battalion commanders to leave here with the knowledge of how to train their company commanders,” Alon said.

During the seminar, officers attended lectures on arrests, riots, prevention of violent activity, and appropriate use of force based on a soldier’s surroundings and the means at his disposal. After the seminar, the officers attended an exhibition that displayed the command’s capabilities and demonstrated principles learned at the seminar. “This is the result of a new operational reality, which can be described as a threat to the ability of our forces to operate. It has recently gained momentum, alongside a change in the threat’s characteristics and the enemy’s patterns of behavior,” said Commander of Yehuda & Shomron Division Brigadier-General Tamir Yedai.

According to Yedai, the intensifying threats in Israel include harsh resistance during arrests, which sometimes results in live fire at forces, and a more developed terrorist infrastructure. “We encounter more cases like the one involving the terrorists who were eliminated in Yata: terrorists who are armed and with explosives inside of their vehicle, or [in possession of] explosives laboratories,” he said. “These are threats that we want to prepare our forces to handle. We may find ourselves in a different reality, and in order not to be surprised, we are preparing in every area – from exercises to professional seminars,” concluded Yedai.

(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)