In Beirut Lebanese Prime Minister Fouad Siniora asked the Lebanese army to raise its alert level, fearing that Israel may exploit the major military exercise to violate his country's sovereignty, Israel Radio reported on Saturday. He also requested U.N. peacekeepers, which monitor the border, to be vigilant.

Lebanese Army commander General Michel Suleiman also said that he had ordered his troops to raise alert and preparation levels in all army units until the end of the Israeli military drill.

Israel has been in a state of heightened alert following the end of the 40-day mourning period in the wake of the assassination of Hezbollah leader Imad Mughnieh in a car bombing in Damascus in February. Hezbollah and its Syrian and Iranian backers accuse Israel's intelligence agency Mossad of being behind the killing and have sworn revenge.

But Israeli prime minister, Ehud Olmert, tried to play down events by saying, "We are not seeking any military confrontations in the north," even as Israel launched the five-day security drill meant to simulate responses to war.

During the course of the week the exercises will "prepare the different services and institutes operating in the civilian environment for various emergency situations," stated an Israeli Defense Forces spokesman.

On Tuesday, sirens sounded throughout the country as children from kindergarten up practiced emergency procedures. State employees also participated in emergency drill procedures at their workplaces.

Immediately afterward local governments also joined in the exercise, following instructions distributed on the spot.

Scenarios for the rest of the week's exercises will include a simulated hazardous material spill in the Haifa Bay, the rescue of survivors from a collapsed building in the Meron and Nazareth areas and the firing of ground-to-ground missiles equipped with chemical warheads.

During the exercise Olmert and Defense Minister Ehud Barak are to conduct situation reviews and to make decisions based on the various scenarios as they unfold.

Barak paid a visit to Israel's northern border at the beginning of the week and threatened that Israel would strike anyone who tried to attack Israel. The fact that this appeared to be a statement prepared in advance and the timing of his visit were not lost on either the Syrians or the Lebanese.

A Syrian intelligence officer, linking Barak's statement, his canceling a trip to Germany, the cabinet's decision to redistribute gas masks, and the national emergency maneuver this week, would probably conclude that Israel was interested in escalation.

However, despite Israel's actions on the ground, diplomatic sources in New York claimed last Saturday that Israel requested UNIFIL inform the Lebanese government that the military and simulated evacuation exercises were neither a threat to Lebanon nor to Hezbollah.

Israeli military sources further added that they saw no clear signs of war on the Syrian front, but confirmed that both sides were on relatively high alert for fear of the other side's moves, mainly due to Hezbollah's calls for revenge.

Against the saber rattling in Israel and the contradictory soothing noises made by Olmert and his government in TV appearances and aimed at placating his nervous neighbors, seasoned Israeli analysts have questioned the motives of the Israeli government.

Some suggested that Barak's trip to the north could also be an attempt by the defense minister to play down internal squabbles he has with other Labor party member and to present himself as a mature politician who has risen above the sniping to focus on the country's security needs.

Other commentators stated that the rapid zigzagging of the Israeli government was reminiscent of the contradictory statements of last spring and summer – before the Israeli Air Force's attack on northern Syria on Sept. 6.

Israel and the United States claim that a Syrian nuclear site was bombed, but mystery continues to surround the incident as the Israeli government has remained tight-lipped.

The Iranians, who have been monitoring the latest events closely, are not thrilled and haven't missed the opportunity to wade into the fray, claiming that the drill was a direct result of U.S. Vice President Dick Cheney's recent visit to the region.

"Unfortunately, after every visit of senior American officials in the region and the occupied territories we witness similar actions by the Zionist regime," said Iranian Foreign Minister Muhammad Ali Hosseini.

Hosseini further urged the Arab states to monitor events in the region closely and called on the "provocative actions to be brought to the attention of the relevant officials in the international community."

Meanwhile, Hezbollah's southern Lebanon commander on Saturday was quoted as saying the militant group will "follow closely" the drill. While Israel examines Syria's intentions with suspicion, Damascus likewise is watching the Jewish state.

And the relative calm in the south of Israel and the Gaza Strip appears to be ending as Israeli military incursions involving deadly clashes with Hamas and Islamic Jihad fighters in the territory resume on an almost daily routine once again.