Israel flexes military might

Israel is holding its biggest ever military exercise, in a show of might against nearby rivals. The five day event includes armed forces and civil workers.

Israel fears conflicts from three different fronts – Syria and Hezbollah threat from the north, and the ongoing Hamas rockets from Gaza, pounding the country every day, from the south.

All public and governmental offices are practicing emergency procedures.

“The army arranged a building to crash. There’ll be lots of bodies under the ruins and we have to rescue them with our tools – that’s our purpose today,” explains Eyal, an Israeli soldier who is part of rescue team.

Tension is high in the region due to reports that Syria is boosting its military forces in preparation against an Israeli offensive.

The first rockets ever to hit Israel struck during the Gulf War 17 years ago.

But that was tiny compared to the more than 4,000 rockets that rained down on the country during the Second Lebanon War nearly two years ago.