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)