Defense officials who spoke with Arutz Sheva-Israel National News expressed concern over the across-the-board cuts in area defense units in Judea and Samaria. IDF: ‘There is no lack of troops in the field.’
Defense officials who spoke with Arutz Sheva-Israel National News expressed concern over the across-the-board cuts in area defense units in Judea and Samaria over the past few days.
“The area defense units defend the communities in Judea and Samaria, they are the immediate force that blocks infiltrations into the communities. Cutting the area defense units means that there will be guard posts that will be removed or won’t be active during certain hours; in other words, there is a greater concern, G-d forbid, of terror incidents.
“After everything we went through over the past year and a half, it is clearer than ever that we must take care of the communities. It’s not enough to say ‘it will be fine’ or that there are enough troops in the brigade; we need an operational and workable plan to defend the communities. The days when the communities were defended by people who were unfit for combat and had no war experience are over, and that’s not appropriate for today’s reality.”
The IDF Spokesperson commented: “In the Central Command, active duty, reserve, and area defense forces are participating in operational missions. With the onset of the war, the IDF called up thousands of reservists, including a significant force of area defense troops in the communities, to strengthen the defense capabilities and act as a first response in an emergency.
As a result, the resources that are put into area defense soldiers are limited. Situational assessments are held regularly, as part of which, it is decided to move forces and redeploy them per the operational considerations and emphasis of the situational assessment. Together with the adjustments in the deployment, a continuous operational response is provided according to the situation. The adjustments do not attest to a lack of forces in the field.
