Military Exercises Intended to Impress Enemy with Israel’s Armed Might

Israeli armed forces began today large scale military exercises in the Negev and Sinai which Chief of Staff Gen. David Elazar said bluntly were intended in part to impress the enemy with Israel’s armed might. The exercises are simulating various tactics of defense and attack on the very terrain that a future battle with Egypt may be waged. According to military sources the stress is on coordinated action by infantry, armor and the Air Force. Weapons received during the last year or two are being employed, Gen. Elazar said.

According to the Chief of Staff, the exercises are designed to provide the answers to various operational problems the enemy might pose in the event of renewed hostilities. However, he said, it is important to note that “at a time when we are still threatened by war, this exercise is intended among other things to convey to the enemy the knowledge that their chances of gaining anything from war are next to nil.”