Defense Minister Yoav Gallant on Monday morning visited the Home Front Command base in Ramla, as part of the IDF’s 2-week multi-front threat exercise “Fist Punch” that began on May 29.
The exercise simulates multi-arena combat in the air, sea, land, and cyber, with regular and reserve forces from all the commands, wings, and arms participating.
“If God forbid, a war breaks, the Israeli home front is expected to face challenges the likes of which we have never known in our 75 years of our existence,” Gallant warned.
Minister Gallant held a situation assessment of the home front scenarios in the event of prolonged fighting in multiple arenas, with Defense Ministry Director-General Major General (ret.) Eyal Zamir, Commander of the Home Front Command Major General Rafi Milo, and the head of the National Emergency Authority Yoram Laredo.
Gallant also held a drill meeting of the emergency economy committee.
The defense minister conveyed to the officers of the Home Front Command and the heads of the security departments in the government ministries the stress on the management of the home front in the scenarios being tested in the exercise and the importance of preparing the home front for wartime.
According to Gallant, the certainty of severe attacks on the home front “requires us to be prepared in advance and optimally. The functioning of the home front with all its echelons bears great importance and a decisive role. As in any arena, even on the home front, we are committed to early and thorough preparations, for optimal performance in an emergency.”
“We must prepare for the most severe scenarios, in which we will have to face many challenges and prioritize the areas required for the activity of the essential economy during an emergency. Only the successful functioning of the home front, in all its components, will allow the IDF and the security system to fulfill the tasks at the front,” the DM said.
In March, Maj. Gen. (ret.) Yitzhak Brick, the harshest critic of Israel’s security apparatus, wrote in Makor Rishon: “If Israel’s intention to attack the Iranian reactor is real, it is necessary first and foremost to prepare our home front and our army to absorb the very heavy blow that will lead to a regional war that Iran and its metastases are preparing for us and to be able to deal with the war in six arenas at the same time (Iran, Syria, Lebanon, Gaza, Intifada in Judea and Samaria and severe riots within the country).”
“Otherwise – there will be a terrible disaster here,” he warned.
