Kfir infantry commanders hold urban warfare exercise

In future conflict, IDF might well find itself attacking Hezbollah in southern Lebanese villages, or Hamas in crowded streets of Gaza.

By YAAKOV LAPPIN
IDF soldiers in urban warfare exercise 370 (photo credit: IDF Spokesman’s Office)
IDF soldiers in urban warfare exercise 370
(photo credit: IDF Spokesman’s Office)
The commanders of the Kfir infantry brigade recently took part in an urban warfare drill as part of the army’s combat readiness programs for all potential future battle arenas, the IDF Spokesman’s Office announced Thursday.
Last week’s exercise, involving all commanders from the platoon commander upwards, took place on Mount Adar, in the Judean Hills. It involved drills for house-to-house fighting, taking over buildings and cooperating with the Oken K-9 unit in urban warfare.
In a future conflict, the IDF might well find itself attacking Hezbollah in southern Lebanese villages, or Hamas in the crowded streets of Gaza.
The IDF organized the drill “based on the understanding that the next war will be in a built-up area,” Col. Asher Ben Lulu, commander of the Kfir Brigade, said.
“The Kfir Brigade specializes in urban combat, and we must be prepared for this type of fighting in any area,” he added.
Maj.-Gen. Nitzan Alon, head of the IDF Central Command, who inspected the special training, said that it represents the infantry’s ability to “live in two worlds: continuous security [patrols and counter-terrorism] and operational [a transition into all-out combat].”
Alon added that all commanders operating in the West Bank should prepare themselves for the eventuality of an escalation in violence.