The Israeli army has begun training for the possibility that it will have to forcibly seize control of Israeli Arab towns in the event of a full-scale regional war, reported Israel's Ma'ariv daily newspaper on Wednesday.
Currently, the exercises are focusing on taking control of the Wadi Ara area in the Lower Galilee region. Wadi Ara is home to the town of Umm El Fahm, headquarters of Israel's Islamic Movement and a hotbed of anti-Israel sentiment.
Israeli officials fear that in the event of a large-scale war including missile attacks on northern Israel, hostile forces in Wadi Ara would try to block major highways connecting the area to the southern portions of Israel.