“We are prepared for war,” Col, Ofer Levy, commander of the IDF’s Givati Brigade said Wednesday following a grueling week-long brigade exercise in northern Israel.

The drill, held ahead of the brigade’s deployment along the border with the Gaza Strip, included a wide-range of scenarios aimed at preparing the unit for a future war with either Hezbollah in Lebanon or Syria.

Levy said that the week-long drill was unique and included the crossing of a river in the North with assistance from the Combat Engineering Corps and its elite Yael squad which specializes in crossing water obstacles.

“This is something we don’t usually do as well as climbing a very steep hill during an attack on a target,” Levy said. “If it is hard in training we hope it will be easier in battle.”

Levy noted that the brigade’s newly-established Rimon Reconnaissance Unit also participated in the drill. Rimon was established in 2010, a year after Operation Cast Lead in the Gaza Strip and as the terror threat was increasing from the Sinai Peninsula.

Levy said that the unit, which is deployed along Israel’s border with Egypt, specializes in reconnaissance and covert missions and has the ability to move quickly through difficult terrain with light vehicles. (© 1995-2011, The Jerusalem Post 06/28/12)