“The peace and serenity here in the north is a good thing,” said Major Gadaya of Lieutenant Commander of Brigade 931, “It allows the civilians to come tour, visit and enjoy one of the most beautiful areas of the country. But it can also be problematic.”

According to Gadaya, the calm means that the other side or Hezbollah is planning something. “Hezbollah is prepared at all times and is searching for an opportunity. The best case scenario for them is to manage to reach one of the towns on the Golan Heights and harm civilians or kidnap military personnel,” he told Kikar Shabbat news site.

Gadaya said that Hezbollah has the advantage of surprise. “They are always trying to surprise us. Our mission is to respond strongly in those 2-3 minutes immediately after the surprise. That is what we are training for and that is what we are ready for. They are an enemy that attempts to stay compartmentalized and hidden. This isn’t a military with soldiers that parade around in uniform. They are shepherds with cameras coming to take pictures and gather intelligence appraising us. We know that this is how they operate and we know that it is complicated.”

Since the Second Lebanon War, the IDF has been preparing for the next war with Hezbollah. “Training has intensified and the drills have gotten longer and more intricate,” said Gadaya. “We know the enemy well and are prepared to fight in difficult scenarios.”

The IDF will not be caught unawares in the next conflict says Gadaya. “We have been drilling how to react to surprises. In the next conflict, we will discover many new surprises waiting for us. We are not preparing based solely upon intelligence information, we are preparing based on how our forces adapt in the field, and we are drilling scenarios that include a deep incursion into Lebanon. Wherever we need to go, we will go. We can reach anywhere we need to, we have the capability to do so. The surprises that await us beyond the border, those we will get to and disarm as well.”

(YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)