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Israeli Army Calls Up Reserves During International Drill

Israel and German fighter jets fly over the Knesset, Israel's parliament, during a flyby in a display of cooperation between the two countries and their armies, in Jerusalem on October 17, 2021. (Photo by Emmanuel DUNAND / AFP)
Israel and German fighter jets fly over the Knesset, Israel's parliament, during a flyby in a display of cooperation between the two countries and their armies, in Jerusalem on October 17, 2021. (Photo by Emmanuel DUNAND / AFP)
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Israeli Army Calls Up Reserves During International Drill

Israel and German fighter jets fly over the Knesset, Israel's parliament, during a flyby in a display of cooperation between the two countries and their armies, in Jerusalem on October 17, 2021. (Photo by Emmanuel DUNAND / AFP)
Israel and German fighter jets fly over the Knesset, Israel's parliament, during a flyby in a display of cooperation between the two countries and their armies, in Jerusalem on October 17, 2021. (Photo by Emmanuel DUNAND / AFP)

The Israeli Air Force’s (IAF) international “Blue Flag” training exercise kicked off in southern Israel on Sunday.

The 13-day drill, in which the air forces of Germany, Italy, Britain, France, India, Greece and the United States are taking part, is held the Negev Desert and will end on October 28.

The Israeli army surprised its soldiers on Monday with an unprecedented military maneuver, during which reservists were called up to a number of units in the army Ground Arm.

According to the army spokesman, the exercise included making phone calls and sending text messages to reservists. Some soldiers were asked to inform their units, according to the instructions provided.

The drill aimed at checking and improving the readiness of reservists, the spokesman noted, adding that it will continue until Tuesday evening as part of the 2021 training program.

“During the exercise, the participants will simulate in-air battles and ground-to-air battles and will practice addressing the threat of advanced surface-to-air missiles and combat behind enemy lines,” he explained.

Launched in 2013, the Blue Flag is held every two years to bolster cooperation between the participant countries.

This years’ drills will focus on the integration of fourth and fifth-generation aircraft, including the Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II, in complex operational scenarios.

For the first time, the international teams conducted a joint honorary flyover through Israel’s skies.

IAF Commander Maj. Gen. Amikam Norkin will lead the flyover in a Baz F-15 alongside an Israeli “Adir” F-35I.

Lt.-Gen. Ingo Gerhartz, Commander of the German Air Force, will fly alongside in the “Eagle Star” Eurofighter, which has been specially painted in the colors of the German and Israeli flags.

“We are living in a very complicated region, and the threats to the State of Israel from Gaza, Lebanon, Syria, and Iran are only increasing,” said Norkin.

“Holding an international exercise in this reality, while continuing our public and covert operational activities on all fronts, is of utmost strategic importance and has an extensive impact over the Israeli army and state,” he added.

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Netanyahu’s Move to Fire Security Agency Chief Threatens New Crisis in Israel

Ronen Bar, new chief of the Israel Security Agency (also known as Shabak or Shin Bet), enters a vehicle at an undisclosed location in central Israel on October 11, 2021. (AFP)
Ronen Bar, new chief of the Israel Security Agency (also known as Shabak or Shin Bet), enters a vehicle at an undisclosed location in central Israel on October 11, 2021. (AFP)
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Netanyahu’s Move to Fire Security Agency Chief Threatens New Crisis in Israel

Ronen Bar, new chief of the Israel Security Agency (also known as Shabak or Shin Bet), enters a vehicle at an undisclosed location in central Israel on October 11, 2021. (AFP)
Ronen Bar, new chief of the Israel Security Agency (also known as Shabak or Shin Bet), enters a vehicle at an undisclosed location in central Israel on October 11, 2021. (AFP)

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's bid to dismiss a top security official has threatened to plunge Israel back into deep political crisis, with opponents on Monday organizing protests and a former court president warning against the "dangerous" move.

Netanyahu on Sunday cited an "ongoing lack of trust" as the reason for moving to sack Ronen Bar, head of the Shin Bet internal security agency, following a similar bid by the government to oust the attorney general.

Bar, who has been engaged in a public spat with Netanyahu in recent weeks over reforms to the agency, suggested there were political motives behind the premier's decision to ask the government to dismiss him.

Attorney General Gali Baharav Miara -- the executive's top legal adviser who has often taken positions that clashed with those of Netanyahu's government -- said the move was "unprecedented" and its legality needed to be assessed.

Bar said it stemmed from his own refusal to meet Netanyahu's demands for "personal loyalty".

The agency led by Bar has been accused of failing to prevent the October 7, 2023 Hamas attack that triggered war in the Gaza Strip.

Several opposition parties have already announced they will jointly petition the High Court against Bar's dismissal, and the attorney general said in a letter to Netanyahu that he could not initiate the process "until the factual and legal foundation of your decision is fully clarified".

Baharav Miara is herself under threat of a no-confidence motion submitted by Justice Minister Yariv Levin, who has spearheaded efforts to reform the judiciary and curb the court's powers -- a plan that sparked major protests before coming to an abrupt halt with Hamas's October 7, 2023 attack.

Levin has accused Baharav Miara, a fierce defendant of the judiciary's independence, of "inappropriate conduct" and cited "significant and prolonged disagreements between the government and the attorney general".

The proceeding against the two figures promise to be lengthy, risking a repeat of the 2023 protest movement that was one of the most significant in Israel's history and had deeply fractured the country.

- 'Blow to national security' -

The Kaplan Force, a liberal umbrella organization which led the fight against the judicial reform, on Monday announced rallies in Jerusalem and Tel Aviv this week to protest the dismissal of the Shin Bet head.

The move to sack Bar, who has been involved in negotiations over the fragile ceasefire in Gaza, comes at a crucial time for the talks.

The truce has largely held since January 19 despite an impasse in efforts to extend it.

Since the Gaza war began, Netanyahu has dismissed his defense minister, Yoav Gallant, while several senior military officials have resigned including army chief Herzi Halevi.

Benny Gantz, an opposition figure who once served as defense minister under Netanyahu, said on X that "the dismissal of the head of the Shin Bet is a direct blow to national security and a dismantling of unity within Israeli society, driven by political and personal considerations."

Former Supreme Court president Dorit Beinisch told Kan public radio that Netanyahu was leading "processes that are dangerous for society".

"We need to wake up, and to wake up in time," she said.

- 'Power-grab' -

For Netanyahu's allies, the move against Bar falls within the normal rights of the head of government.

"In what normal country is a special reason even needed to remove the head of an intelligence organization who is personally responsible for a massive intelligence failure that led to the greatest disaster in the history of Israel?" far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich wrote on Telegram.

Nahum Barnea, columnist for the daily Yedioth Ahronoth, warned of the dangers stemming from the clash between Netanyahu and Bar.

"A prime minister who has lost his brakes will rule as he sees fit, and his failed government will follow in his wake," he wrote.

"It is gradually inching us closer to a form of civil war... in which there is no trust and a refusal to obey in security organizations".

For Amir Tibon, writing for the left-wing daily Haaretz, "Israeli democracy is now in grave danger".

"It's up to Israelis to decide if they'll accept Netanyahu's hostile power-grab -- and how far they will go to stop it".