Israel called the largest snap in many years amid rising fears of Iran and Syrian threats. The test drill was ordered to check preparedness and does not change Israel’s alert status, which has already been on high-alert.

Israeli Gen. Benny Gantz ordered the exercise as “part of a routine inspection.” Calling up artillery and air force personnel from the north and central Israel, make this drill unique because of the tens of thousands of soldiers and senior officers involved.

The IDF was ordered to airlift troops from central Israel to the Golan Heights where the drill ended with live-fire exercises near Syria.

Israeli military has been planning ways to stop Iranian nuclear ambitions. The IAF has been acquiring military aircraft, bombs, refueling planes and testing long-range missile systems in preparations to attack Iran nuclear bases of operation, some 1,000 miles away.

Israel also has an arsenal of Jericho ballistic missiles and German-made Dolphin submarines that are capable of hitting targets as far away as Iran.

There has been increasing fears of Syria’s chemical weapons and missile stock-piles falling into rogue hands as well as Iran drawing ever closer to obtaining a nuclear bomb that would indeed be capable of wiping Israel off the map, as Iran has threatened.