Footage from the IDF drill
(Video: IDF)
According to IDF assessments, tens of thousands of armed operatives from Iranian-backed groups are currently stationed across Syria and Iraq. They could reach the Golan border within hours in pickup trucks. The drill examined whether the new defense infrastructure in the region could hold off such a force long enough for reinforcements to arrive.
Central to the exercise was the role of nine new IDF company outposts built in recent months just across the Syrian border, each manned by hundreds of soldiers. These outposts carry significant political weight: the new Syrian regime has demanded Israel withdraw from them as a precondition for restoring the 1975 ceasefire agreement that collapsed during Syria’s civil war. While talks are ongoing, no progress has been made.
Throughout the drill, Northern Command officers evaluated whether these outposts could buy the military crucial time in the event of a mass invasion. The conclusion was clear: “The forces stationed at these new outposts on the Syrian side give us several hours to deploy reinforcements, activate local emergency squads, bolster the border defenses, and increase airpower to intercept the incursion,” senior IDF officers said.
The shifting dynamics in the Middle East also led to unprecedented moments during the exercise. Makeshift IDF liaison officers maintained direct contact with Syrian village leaders near the outposts to reassure them that aircraft noise and controlled explosions were part of a drill, not real combat. The IDF also simulated scenarios in which Syrian civilians caught between the Israeli positions could be injured in the crossfire and would receive medical aid and evacuation by Israeli forces. Coordination also took place with UNDOF, the international peacekeeping force expected to help restore calm should a future agreement be reached.
The simulated incursion took place along a 65-kilometer stretch of the border—roughly 20 kilometers longer than the Gaza boundary—and envisioned multiple infiltration points where terrorists broke through the Israeli outposts after heavy fighting. Soldiers from the 210th Division practiced extreme scenarios, including the abduction of Israeli civilians into Syrian territory. These scenarios involved air support, rapid pursuit, and the deployment of new emergency rescue units established by the air force following the lessons of October 7.
Northern Command emphasized that the "red zone" inside Syrian territory proved to be a critical buffer, allowing most of the invading forces to be neutralized before crossing into Israel. In only a few instances did terrorists manage to infiltrate and take hostages, triggering the activation of a special rescue protocol known as “Army of the Skies,” which deployed intervention teams to extract captives still within Israeli territory.
In a significant policy shift, the IDF has also begun training regular infantry battalions—not just elite special forces—for hostage scenarios inside civilian communities. The exercise primarily focused on the southern Golan, a region where natural terrain, such as riverbeds, makes detecting infiltrations more challenging than in the open plains of the northern plateau. Still, breaches were also simulated in Golan north, including near the Druze village of Khader, across from Majdal Shams. The village is under IDF protection due to threats from extremist militias targeting Syria’s Druze minority.
The focus on the southern Golan also stems from its volatile population. Hundreds of residents in the area have ties to al-Qaeda and previously hosted ISIS-affiliated groups. Unlike villagers in central and northern Syria who have surrendered their weapons to the IDF, residents in the south have recently refused to disarm. In the past two weeks, the 210th Division identified an uptick in Iranian-backed terror cells in the area and conducted two unusual arrest operations inside Syrian territory, capturing suspected militants without resistance and bringing them to Israel for interrogation.
“We also drilled scenarios involving mass casualties and missing persons with our division’s medical teams, using new protocols shaped by October 7,” said an officer from Northern Command. “We rehearsed how to communicate with the Syrian regime to avoid miscalculations or escalation. There’s still no dedicated coordination unit in the Golan like there is in the West Bank, so most of these efforts are handled at the command and diplomatic level.”
The IDF concluded that it now operates under a multi-layered defense strategy designed to gradually halt multi-pronged attacks in line with a new combat doctrine. “As long as no policy says otherwise, anyone armed in this sector is a potential threat,” said a senior officer. “And we treat them accordingly. Everyone is in our sights.”
