Islam Times - ‘Israeli’ Military Not Prepared for Chemical Weapons Attack

Islam Times - The ‘Israeli’ Occupation Forces [IOF] are not ready for the dangers posed by a chemical-weapons attack, the Zionist entity’s Comptroller Matanyahu Englman said in a report Monday.

Past reports have come to the same conclusion, and the issue has jumped into the headlines many times, including as recently as 2014 and 2016.

Englman highlighted the threat that needs to be taken seriously, noting that the “use of chemical weapons in war has been a known threat for many years.”

“Other militaries are struggling with this threat, including the US military, which views it as a significant and complex challenge,” the report said.

The report covers the period of June 2019 until February 2020 and lists a number of deficiencies within the Zionist entity.

Land forces and special units that deal with weapons of mass destruction [WMD] are poorly prepared, the report said. Training for units responsible for border security to inspect for or handle potential chemical items is not up to the necessary standards, it said.

Other relevant units also do not train enough for chemical-weapons scenarios, the report said.

Englman recommended that the commander of land forces lead a campaign to improve combat units’ readiness for chemical warfare.

In September 2014, the IOF deputy chief of staff made the internal front command responsible for WMD gear. But in practice, the relevant equipment remained spread out in a disorganized manner throughout the infantry forces, Internal Front Command and IOF air and space forces.

Current IOF Deputy Chief of Staff Maj.-Gen. Eyal Zamir should institute a process to ensure that the flagged deficiencies are addressed, the report said.

Responding in May, Zamir said the military would reevaluate its readiness for the chemical-weapons issue, but only within the context of the broader “Momentum” financial plan.

Parts of the report criticized the office of the IOF chief engineer, the Technology and Logistics Branch and the Medical Corps. Englman suggested that the IOF chief engineer work on closing the gaps in terms of necessary equipment for protection from the chemical-weapons threat.

In addition, since 2017, soldiers who need glasses to see have not been given special chemical-weapons goggles. This practically makes such soldiers useless in the event of a chemical-weapons attack, the comptroller added.