Israel conducts surprise military drill near Gaza border

The Israeli army said on Sunday it kicked off on a surprise drill in southern Israel along the Gaza Strip border.

The military exercise will run until Sunday night, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) Spokesperson said in a statement.

The unexpected drill comes nearly six months after Israel's military campaign in the Gaza Strip known as Operation Protective Edge last summer.

The drill combines air and ground forces and simulates different scenarios like infiltrations on border with the Gaza Strip and kidnapping attempts against Israelis. It also includes rocket fire on Israeli communities near the Gaza border.

The IDF spokesperson could not give an exact amount of soldiers taking part in the drill.

The drill is "part of a range of activities that take place throughout the year to improve operational readiness in Gaza, and is designed to improve the IDF's competence," the statement added.

This is the second drill to take place this month. Three weeks ago, the IDF carried out a surprise, wide-scale drill in the West Bank, ordering 3,000 reserve soldiers to report to their units.

The West Bank drill might have been associated with recent military assessments forecasting a possible outbreak of violence by Palestinians in April, amid the deteriorating security situation and the deadlocked diplomatic negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians. Endit