The Chief of the General Staff at the Central Command’s Dual-Division Exercise

The Chief of the General Staff, LTG Eyal Zamir, visited today (Wed) the Dual-division exercise of the Judea and Samaria Division and the “Gilad” Formation (96), together with the Commander of the Central Command, MG Avi Bluth; the Commander of the Judea and Samaria Division, BG Kobi Heller; the Commander of the “Gilad” Formation, BG Oren Simcha; the Commander of the Ground Training Center, BG Eliad Moati; and additional commanders.

During the visit, the Chief of the General Staff held situational assessments with the commanders in the field and emphasized the importance of operational readiness in the arena.

From the remarks of the Chief of the General Staff, LTG Eyal Zamir:
“The Central Command, under the leadership of its commander, MG Avi Bluth, has been doing exceptional work over the past two years. The exercise taking place today is another part of that effort.

This is an unprecedented exercise, the first of its kind in the IDF. As part of it, the new Eastern Division, established as one of the lessons learned from the war, is being evaluated in full divisional format. One of our lessons from October 7th is the responsibility for defense in the area and the change in our conception of security , we neutralize threats as they emerge. We are doing that here as well.

The scenarios we have been practicing in recent days are situations we must never reach. We must act and neutralize threats before they reach our doorstep, that is our duty. We will reinforce our troops wherever necessary in order to continue countering terrorism and prevent the next threat from arising.

We are aware of the recent violent incidents in which Israeli civilians attacked Palestinians and Israelis. I strongly condemn them. The IDF will not tolerate criminal behavior by a small minority that tarnishes the law-abiding public. These acts contradict our values, cross a red line, and divert the attention of our troops from their mission, defending the communities and carrying out operations. We are determined to stop this phenomenon and will act decisively until justice is served.

Our troops are operating in the field to prevent threats and harm to residents of the area. The communities in Judea and Samaria are important to us, and we deeply appreciate them. Strengthening them is an inseparable part of our security framework, we must continue to act to empower this component. We operate according to a clear principle: terrorism only meets the army; civilians live in routine without interference, We are the defensive barrier between the terrorist organizations and Israel’s civilians.”

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