The State Comptroller’s Office found a number of issues in the preparedness of various bodies — including the Israel Defense Forces — when it comes both protecting against attacks on hazmat facilities and responding to the aftermath in the event of a leak.
The threat of an attack on hazmat facilities has become more substantial in recent years, after the leader of the Lebanese Hezbollah terror group threatened to target chemical and oil refineries in Haifa’s bay area in a bid to create an explosion similar to the 2020 Beirut blast. During its 2006 war with Israel, the group fired hundreds of rockets at Haifa.
The report said there were “certain gaps” in Israel’s readiness to deal with the threat of drones potentially targeting hazmat facilities, without elaborating further. Military officials said this week they have seen a trend in Iranian drone attacks in recent years, dubbing it Iran’s “UAV terror.”
Responding to the report, the military said that its Home Front Command considers “the handling of hazardous materials to be of great importance” and that it would work to “implement the recommendations of the comptroller’s report, subject to resources and priorities.” READ MORE
