Israeli Military Opens Surprise Exercise In The Golan

Israeli Defense Forces soldiers from the Golani Brigade take part in a military training exercise in the Golan Heights near the border with Syria on January 19, 2015. Image by JACK GUEZ/AFP/Getty Images
JERUSALEM (JTA) — The Israel Defense Forces opened a surprise exercise in the Golan Heights.
The military called up thousands of reservists on Sunday morning for the exercise, which reportedly will take place for several days.
The IDF Spokesman told Israeli media that the large-scale drill, though a surprise to the participants, was planned in advance and is designed to maintain troop combat preparedness.
The exercise comes as tension has increased on Israel’s northern border, including airstrikes on Syrian military targets and Iranian military targets in Syria said to have been undertaken by Israel.