IDF chief of staff orders army to prepare for month-long operation

( israel national news )

IDF Chief of Staff Aviv Kochavi has ordered the Israeli military to prepare for a protracted military operation, lasting at least a month.

Kochavi told IDF commanders Sunday evening that the IDF must be ready for a lengthy potential conflict, which he dubbed “Operation Guardian of the Walls 2”, modeled after Israel’s two-week operation against the Hamas terrorist organization in the Gaza Strip in May 2021 – a conflict which spilled over into Israel, with Arab rioting across much of the country.

The army chief also speculated that a future conflict could see mass rocket attacks by the Islamic Jihad terrorist group against southern Israel, in retaliation for the elimination of a three-member terrorist cell in northern Samaria over the weekend.

A recent string of terror attacks have prompted Israeli officials to bolster security across the country, with Defense Minister Benny Gantz issuing a rare order Friday calling up three hundred reserve Border Police officers for a one-month period.

Gantz visited a Shin Bet internal security agency special operations center Sunday evening, and met with Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar, discussing the agency’s efforts to foil recent terrorist plots.