The IDF said that the joint military exercise Agapinor-2022 with the Israeli Defence Forces and the Cyprus National Guard is “the biggest ever in cooperation with a neighbouring country”.
The exercise, which started on Sunday, is part of a wider IDF exercise in Israel, entering its fourth and last week.
The Hebrew name of the joint Cypriot-Israeli drill is “Beyond the Horizon”.
According to the IDF announcement, the military exercise “constitutes an important component in maintaining the readiness of the IDF for a variety of operational scenarios and military cooperation between the two nations increases joint regional stability and reinforces the ability to face shared security challenges.”
The exercise aims to present “an opportunity for troops to quickly adapt to unfamiliar territory while dealing with emergency scenarios and train distant logistic abilities that the military might face when dealing with emergency and unfamiliar scenarios.”
IDF soldiers and reserves from the air force, the navy and amphibious forces, and intelligence and cyber security forces take part in the exercise.
According to the IDF, the goal is to improve the readiness of troops and their abilities to conduct missions “deep in enemy territory while combining and maximising multi-disciplinary capabilities.”
The exercise will see combat helicopters assisting ground forces, evacuating the wounded by assault helicopters, directing and accompanying ground forces and dropping off logistical equipment by IAF transport planes.
IDF concludes that “Agapinor-2022/Beyond the Horizon” will take place in a variety of environments, urban and rural, “with an emphasis on unexpected events”.
The IDF said the exercises would be carried out in various terrains, including urban and rural areas in mountainous terrain that resemble Lebanon.
Also, during the final week of the major exercise — dubbed “Chariots of Fire” — the Air Force will simulate airstrikes on Iranian nuclear facilities over the Mediterranean Sea.
The Chariots of Fire drill — scheduled to last through June 3 — is Israel’s largest exercise in decades.
It has focused on sudden events erupting in multiple theatres simultaneously while focusing on fighting the Iran-backed Hezbollah in Lebanon.
