War Preparations in Israel

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War Preparations in Israel

21 September: Without a word to the Israeli public, national

emergency war preparations went into high gear Thursday afternoon,

September 20.

DEBKAfile's military sources report that hospitals were placed on the

ready and medical teams ordered to stay on call. The military

authorities warned hospital directors to prepare for a heavy intake

of casualties. There was no answer to questions about whether the

casualties would come from inside or outside the country – Israeli

victims of military operations or enemy attack, or American troops

injured after America's war against terror is launched.

Israeli civilian airfields were also instructed to close down for

civilian air traffic as of today, Friday, September 21. Israeli

airlines, including the national carrier El Al, were ordered to begin

transferring some of their aircraft to the military authorities.

Israel's strategic supplies are also in the process of being moved to

prepared underground shelters – especially the central oil, gas and

petrol depot at Gelilot depot in North Tel Aviv, which is very close

to densely inhabited residential areas and army bases. A direct

missile hit on that location could cause many casualties.

Since September 11, shortly after the attacks in New York and

Washington, Israeli air defense systems and units, including two

kinds of anti-missile missiles – the new Israeli Arrow and the

American Patriot missiles, have been held at a high level of

preparedness.

These measures are summed up by DEBKA-Net-Weekly's military experts

under the heading of defensive preparedness against medium-range

missile or air attack. In the case of Iraq, Israeli is also preparing

for the appearance of its L-29 drone that is capable of carrying a

chemical or biological warfare payload.

The traffic of applicants for gas masks increased markedly before and

after the New Year festival this week.