Israel to hold nationwide nuclear attack drill
Pastor Dale Morgan
Israel to hold nationwide nuclear attack drill*
Feb 26 11:03 AM US/Eastern
Israel will next month stage its first-ever nationwide drill simulating
a nuclear and chemical missile attack on its cities, rescue services
said Monday.
The exercise was initiated by the army's homefront corps in the wake of
last summer's war in Lebanon and Iran's calls for the destruction of the
Jewish state and its controversial nuclear programme.
Israel suspects is Iran is aiming to develop an atomic bomb, but Tehran
insists its programme is for civilian energy purposes.
The main scenarios which will be simulated are a massive rocket attack
on cities as well as a "conventional and non-conventional missile
attack," Magen David Adom rescue services spokesman Yerucham Mandola
told AFP.
During the drill -- which will include army rescue forces, police,
medical and firefighting services -- air-raid sirens may be sounded
across the entire country.
The Hezbollah militia fired over 4,000 rockets against northern Israel
during the war last summer, killing more than 40 civilians and
paralysing the region's industry and economy.
During the 1991 Gulf War, Israeli citizens were equipped with gas masks
out of fear of a chemical attack. None of the missiles fired from Iraq
against Israel were equipped with chemical warheads.