Major General Avi Bluth, head of the IDF Central Command, visited a training exercise held by the Bekaa and Emekim Brigade on Thursday. During his visit, he spoke with battalion commanders and other officers about the importance of training and readiness in the sector, in light of the evolving regional situation and ongoing efforts to establish the Eastern Division.
“The enemy has changed, the threats have changed”
Bluth told the soldiers that just as change has occurred in other regions, it will come to the Jordanian border as well. “We are approaching a major shift on the eastern front,” he said. “We are already undergoing change—because the enemy has changed, the threats have changed. The threat from Syria has changed. Therefore, we must change too.”
Bluth noted that the command is integrating reserve battalions. “These are people who show up with a sense of mission, with high turnout rates, and who give their all so we can achieve the objectives of this war. We must ensure they receive the recognition they deserve, and more importantly, that they are welcomed by professional, capable units and integrated properly into operations.”
“When terror meets the army, civilians live their routine”
This week, two terror attacks were reported in the media—one in northern Samaria and one in the Hebron area. Bluth said: “The terrorist in Hebron was eliminated, as expected in any encounter, and the suspect in the Barta’a area was arrested last night and is now under investigation. In the Central Command sector, you must always look beyond isolated incidents and focus on broader directions and trends,” the general explained.
Bluth emphasized to the soldiers that the trends in the four months since Operation Iron Wall have been positive. The IDF assesses that as the situation in Gaza evolves, there may be a resurgence of “lone wolf” attackers in Judea and Samaria. “This is a phenomenon we expect,” Bluth said, and made it clear: “It must be met by a strong front-line force that ends it in only one way—the terrorist is eliminated. In the end, we are fulfilling, and will continue to fulfill, our vision: when terror meets the army, civilians live their routine.”
