IDF to hold tsunami response drill after unusual earthquakes in Greece

This comes after unusual earthquakes off the coast of Santorini made security officials concerned that a tsunami would strike Israel. A tsunami response drill will take place Wednesday morning, in the area of Rishon Lezion, the IDF announced Tuesday night. The purpose of the drill is to test the level of municipal preparedness and operational response to a similar emergency. As part of the drill, a siren will sound in the western Rishon Lezion area at 10:15 AM, to simulate a tsunami warning.

Additionally, an increase in the movement of security forces will be noticeable along the coastline. This is a pre-planned drill, the IDF stressed, and there is no concern of a security event.The announcement comes three months after unusual earthquakes off the coast of Santorini, Greece. The quakes could have potentially created a larger earthquake that would have affected Israel.

"Emergency bodies and government offices are required to prepare for the possibility that the State of Israel may encounter a tsunami wave approaching it," a summary from the National Security Council stated, as reported by N12 news site.Even still, experts say that Israelis would have abundant warning time in the event of a tsunami wave in the Mediterranean Sea. "We in Israel need to be alert, but there is no need to worry excessively," Dr. Ariel Haiman, a geologist and senior researcher at the Institute for National Security Studies, told N12. (Ed note: Rishon Lezion is located about 5 miles south of Tel Aviv, and is about 37 miles north of the Gaza Strip)  (Source))