Soldiers operate during a Home Front Command drill which simulated a scenario in which ABC missiles were fired on the city of Tel-Aviv, in 2011. Photo: wiki commons.

Israeli citizens who went shopping this morning at a Nazareth mall were in for a surprise, as emergency medical and military personnel simulated their responses to a chemical attack in the country’s northern region.

An IDF lieutenant who spoke with the Ynet newspaper says that since the Second Lebanon War there has been an increased desire to prepare for missile and chemical attacks in the northern part of Israel.

“Every time they want more. Another practice, another meeting, another round table. We try to satisfy the needs,” the lieutenant said.

The exercises come amid international concerns over the safety and security of Syria’s chemical weapons arsenal, which is believed to be the largest in the Middle East, and renewed speculation of a major confrontation with Iran.

Eyal Eisenberg, an official with Israel’s Home Front Command stressed that exercises like the ones being conducted on Monday are coordinated closely with the country’s civilian population.  That includes a newly tested system which informs citizens of potential threats via text messages.

“It is performed in cooperation with the population and that is important,” Eisenberg said.