{"id":583394,"date":"2026-08-13T10:52:12","date_gmt":"2026-08-13T10:52:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/583394\/"},"modified":"2026-08-13T10:52:12","modified_gmt":"2026-08-13T10:52:12","slug":"preparing-for-war-idf-drill-in-west-bank-simulates-another-hezbollah-fight","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/583394\/","title":{"rendered":"‘Preparing for war’: IDF drill in West Bank simulates another Hezbollah fight"},"content":{"rendered":"

The routine for soldiers of the Nahal Brigade<\/a>\u2019s 931st Battalion never stops. Just three months ago, the battalion was operating deep inside Lebanon<\/a>. It is now engaged in intensive operations with the Ephraim Regional Brigade in the West Bank<\/a>. But between nighttime arrests in Tulkarm and weapons searches in villages, the troops are also required to maintain a high level of readiness, with their eyes on the northern front.<\/p>\n

This week, the battalion completed a two-day intensive exercise in the Kana Stream area designed to simulate combat in the dense, mountainous terrain of southern Lebanon.<\/p>\n

\"\u05dc\u05d5\u05d7\u05de\u05d9<\/a>\"\u05dc\u05d5\u05d7\u05de\u05d9<\/p>\n

Nahal Brigade exercise <\/p>\n

(Photo: IDF Spokesperson\u2019s Unit)<\/p>\n

\"\u05dc\u05d5\u05d7\u05de\u05d9<\/a>\"\u05dc\u05d5\u05d7\u05de\u05d9<\/p>\n

(Photo: IDF Spokesperson\u2019s Unit)<\/p>\n

In a special interview, the battalion commander, Lt. Col. N., described the sharp transition from daily counterterrorism operations in the West Bank to preparing for the next war in the north. He discussed the evolving response to the drone threat, the added challenge posed by extreme heat and what he considers the most important factor of all: the confidence of the soldier on the front line.<\/p>\n

The return to the West Bank required the battalion to immediately plunge into intensive counterterrorism and disruption operations.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe operate in the Ephraim Brigade<\/a> every day, from weapons searches to arrests and questioning in the field,\u201d Lt. Col. N. said. \u201cI arrived here right as there was a string of attacks. There is no doubt that raised the tension. You can feel it. But we work very closely with the Shin Bet and police and are doing some very good things together. Just a few weeks ago, after hearing gunfire, we searched one of the locations and found a handgun.\u201d<\/p>\n

He added: \u201cAlongside that, of course, is the daily mission of protecting civilians and thwarting terrorist attacks. The directive is clear. There are targets the battalion identifies based on gunfire in the area or in the villages. The battalion intelligence officer analyzes the terrain and we initiate offensive operations. We do not wait for the Shin Bet to tell us whom to arrest. We take a great deal of initiative at the battalion and brigade levels.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\u05dc\u05d5\u05d7\u05de\u05d9<\/a>\"\u05dc\u05d5\u05d7\u05de\u05d9<\/p>\n

‘We operated mainly at night’ <\/p>\n

(Photo: IDF Spokesperson\u2019s Unit)<\/p>\n

\"\u05dc\u05d5\u05d7\u05de\u05d9<\/a>\"\u05dc\u05d5\u05d7\u05de\u05d9<\/p>\n

(Photo: IDF Spokesperson\u2019s Unit)<\/p>\n

Despite its operational routine, the battalion also conducted a full-scale exercise in the Kana Stream area. The terrain, marked by deep wadis, steep ridges and dense vegetation, provides a realistic simulation of Lebanon\u2019s rugged, overgrown landscape.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe made use of the terrain that best simulates Lebanon,\u201d the battalion commander said. \u201cIt was a full battalion exercise, despite manpower constraints because we are also holding an operational sector, and it included all the components \u2014 fire support, drones, a complete operational command structure, enemy simulation and explosive drones.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe wadis and dense vegetation forced commanders and soldiers to reassess the terrain. That is a key lesson from the fighting: Everything begins with terrain analysis, especially in a place like Lebanon, which is unlike any other sector.\u201d<\/p>\n

The intense heat added another physical challenge, particularly during an exercise in which soldiers were carrying heavy loads.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt definitely made things harder,\u201d Lt. Col. N. said. \u201cWe had to time the activity according to the orders. We postponed some maneuvers by an hour or two until the heat eased and operated mainly at night. War is challenging, and moving through difficult terrain with heavy loads under strict procedures is exactly what prepares us.\u201d<\/p>\n

Responding to the drone threat<\/p>\n

One of the main threats faced by the military in Lebanon has been Hezbollah\u2019s use of explosive drones, including fiber-optic-guided systems. Lt. Col. N. acknowledged that the military had struggled with the threat at first.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt is no secret that there was frustration in the military over this threat in the early stages,\u201d he said. \u201cBut today we are preparing for the war that will come, not the war that was. A structured response procedure has been written, there are defensive methods and technological solutions for protection and interception that the military is developing together with civilian companies.<\/p>\n

\u201cDuring the exercise, all our systems were networked and the soldiers practiced a precise response procedure.\u201d<\/p>\n

Asked how that affects soldiers on the front line, he said: \u201cOnce there is a clear procedure and the soldier understands what he can do at his level to deal with the threat, it raises confidence by several levels. The drone arena is still the main challenge in the next war in Lebanon, and the enemy is investing heavily in it, but there are entire teams in the IDF working on this. When the soldier understands that he has a response, he arrives calmer and more focused.\u201d<\/p>\n

Summing up the exercise, the battalion commander said the greatest achievement was not only tactical but also a matter of morale.<\/p>\n

\u201cA soldier came up to me at the end of the exercise and said it had been challenging and difficult, but that his confidence in his commanders, his weapons and his fellow soldiers had increased,\u201d he said. \u201cOnce that happens, I know I have done my job.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Nahal Brigade is at the forefront of training while maintaining operational deployments, and the confidence of the unit as a whole is the most important component for victory in any sector we are called to.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The routine for soldiers of the Nahal Brigade\u2019s 931st Battalion never stops. Just three months ago, the battalion…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":583395,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[42,43,40,38,41,39],"class_list":["post-583394","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-headlines","tag-headlines","tag-news","tag-top-news","tag-top-stories","tag-topnews","tag-topstories"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/583394","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=583394"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/583394\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/583395"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=583394"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=583394"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=583394"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}