Last update - 00:00 13/11/2006
IDF to reopen guerrilla-warfare training center in wake of Lebanon war
By Haaretz Service
The Israel Defense Forces intends to reopen the guerrilla-warfare training facility as a result of the Lebanon war, the IDF publication Bamahaneh has reported.
The IDF shut down the facility, located at the Elyakim base in the north, following the withdrawal from Lebanon in 2000.
The army has been criticized internally as well as by many political leaders for, among other things, what they have called the army's failure to effectively deal with Hezbollah's guerrilla tactics during the Lebanon war.
IDF Chief of Staff Dan Halutz has himself called the results of the war "mediocre."
The training at the facility will include navigation using GPS satellites, constructing hidden outposts and camouflage techniques, according to the report. The facility will also include a paintball course where soldiers will be able to conduct guerrilla warfare simulations.
Training would also be conducted on all the bases in the northern command area, with courses for both soldiers and officers.
"Our goal is to establish a cycle, so that within two years officers will receive extensive training and soldiers some training," Lior Lifshitz, commander of the base, told the publication.
The center is expected to open within a few months, and will also supply guerrilla warfare equipment to the various army units, Bamahaneh reported.