Israel’s neighbors on alert over military drills

Lebanese and Syrian armies are on high alert Sunday as Israeli emergency authorities begin a five-day nationwide military exercise simulating air and missile attacks on cities, including by non-conventional weapons.

Lebanese Prime Minister Fuad Siniora has warned that Israel could exploit the unprecedented military exercises to exacerbate tensions along the volatile border between the two countries.

Siniora asked U.N. peacekeepers tasked with monitoring the border, "to be careful" that Israel will not use the maneuvers "to launch operations capable of increasing tension," a statement from his office said.

Emergency sirens will be sound across the Jewish state and schoolchildren will practice entering shelters and protected spaces in the event of chemical and biological weapons attacks on Israel, the army said in a statement Saturday.

The emergency services will also for the first time broadcast on TV tutorial videos explaining how to act during an attack.

Hospitals, army emergency services, municipal bodies and ministries will all take part in the drill that comes amid renewed tensions between Israel and Syria.

The army said the exercise was planned "in advance, as part of the IDF (Israeli army) 2008 work plan. The exercise was not planned in relation to any current events," the statement said.

The military exercises coincided with reports of increased tension between Israel and Syria, prompting Damascus to put its military forces on maximum alert and to reportedly boost deployment near the border and call up reserves.