The 1st "Golani" Brigade ( he, חֲטִיבַת גּוֹלָנִי) is an Israeli military
infantry
Infantry is a military specialization which engages in ground combat on foot. Infantry generally consists of light infantry, mountain infantry, motorized infantry & mechanized infantry, airborne infantry, air assault infantry, and mar ...
brigade that is subordinated to the
36th Division and traditionally associated with the
Northern Command. It is one of the five infantry brigades of the regular
Israel Defense Forces
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF; he, צְבָא הַהֲגָנָה לְיִשְׂרָאֵל , ), alternatively referred to by the Hebrew-language acronym (), is the national military of the Israel, State of Israel. It consists of three servic ...
(IDF) (the others being the
Paratroopers Brigade, the
Nahal Brigade, the
Givati Brigade and the
Kfir Brigade
The 900th "Kfir" Brigade ( he, חֲטִיבַת כְּפִיר, ''lit.'' "Lion Cub Brigade"), is the youngest and largest infantry brigade of the Israel Defense Forces. It is subordinate to the 340th "Idan" Armoured Division of Israel's Central ...
). Its symbol is a green olive tree against a yellow background, with its soldiers wearing a brown
beret. It is one of the most highly decorated infantry units in the IDF. The brigade consists of five battalions, including two which it kept from its inception (12th and 13th), one transferred from the
Givati Brigade (51st).
The brigade was formed on February 22, 1948, during the
1948 Arab–Israeli War
The 1948 (or First) Arab–Israeli War was the second and final stage of the 1948 Palestine war. It formally began following the end of the British Mandate for Palestine at midnight on 14 May 1948; the Israeli Declaration of Independence had ...
, when the Levanoni Brigade in the
Galilee split into the 1st Golani Brigade and the 2nd
Carmeli Brigade. It has since participated in all of Israel's major wars and nearly all major operations, including the
Suez Crisis
The Suez Crisis, or the Second Arab–Israeli war, also called the Tripartite Aggression ( ar, العدوان الثلاثي, Al-ʿUdwān aṯ-Ṯulāṯiyy) in the Arab world and the Sinai War in Israel,Also known as the Suez War or 1956 Wa ...
, the
Six-Day War
The Six-Day War (, ; ar, النكسة, , or ) or June War, also known as the 1967 Arab–Israeli War or Third Arab–Israeli War, was fought between Israel and a coalition of Arab states (primarily Egypt, Syria, and Jordan) from 5 to 10 ...
, the
War of Attrition, the
Yom Kippur War
The Yom Kippur War, also known as the Ramadan War, the October War, the 1973 Arab–Israeli War, or the Fourth Arab–Israeli War, was an armed conflict fought from October 6 to 25, 1973 between Israel and a coalition of Arab states led by E ...
,
Operation Entebbe, the
1978 South Lebanon conflict, the
1982
Events January
* January 1 – In Malaysia and Singapore, clocks are adjusted to the same time zone, UTC+8 (GMT+8.00).
* January 13 – Air Florida Flight 90 crashes shortly after takeoff into the 14th Street Bridge in Washington, D.C ...
and
2006 Lebanon Wars, and various operations during the Palestinian
intifadas.
Three of its commanders,
Mordechai Gur,
Gabi Ashkenazi and
Gadi Eizenkot have become IDF
Chiefs of Staff
The title chief of staff (or head of staff) identifies the leader of a complex organization such as the armed forces, institution, or body of persons and it also may identify a principal staff officer (PSO), who is the coordinator of the supporti ...
with many more reaching the rank of
aluf (
major general
Major general (abbreviated MG, maj. gen. and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. The disappearance of the "sergeant" in the title explains the apparent confusion of ...
).
History
Founding and initial organization
As the end of the
British Mandate of Palestine was fast approaching, the leadership of the
Haganah
Haganah ( he, הַהֲגָנָה, lit. ''The Defence'') was the main Zionist paramilitary organization of the Jewish population ("Yishuv") in Mandatory Palestine between 1920 and its disestablishment in 1948, when it became the core of the I ...
drafted
Plan Dalet for its subsequent organization and operations. The plan divided the fighting militia (
Field Corps) into six regional brigades –
Levanoni in the north,
Alexandroni in the Sharon region,
Kiryati in the
Tel Aviv
Tel Aviv-Yafo ( he, תֵּל־אָבִיב-יָפוֹ, translit=Tēl-ʾĀvīv-Yāfō ; ar, تَلّ أَبِيب – يَافَا, translit=Tall ʾAbīb-Yāfā, links=no), often referred to as just Tel Aviv, is the most populous city in the G ...
area,
Givati in the
Shfela, and
Etzioni in the
Jerusalem
Jerusalem (; he, יְרוּשָׁלַיִם ; ar, القُدس ) (combining the Biblical and common usage Arabic names); grc, Ἱερουσαλήμ/Ἰεροσόλυμα, Hierousalḗm/Hierosóluma; hy, Երուսաղեմ, Erusałēm. i ...
area. On February 28, 1948, the Levanoni Brigade was split into two—
Carmeli in the northwest, and Golani in the northeast.
Golani's area of operations included much of the
Lower Galilee and
Jezreel Valley, the
Jordan Valley and the
Hula Valley.
It extended to
al-Jalama and
Bat Shlomo in the west.
Major population centers included
Safed
Safed (known in Hebrew as Tzfat; Sephardic Hebrew & Modern Hebrew: צְפַת ''Tsfat'', Ashkenazi Hebrew: ''Tzfas'', Biblical Hebrew: ''Ṣǝp̄aṯ''; ar, صفد, ''Ṣafad''), is a city in the Northern District of Israel. Located at an elev ...
,
Tiberias
Tiberias ( ; he, טְבֶרְיָה, ; ar, طبريا, Ṭabariyyā) is an Israeli city on the western shore of the Sea of Galilee. A major Jewish center during Late Antiquity, it has been considered since the 16th century one of Judaism's F ...
,
Beit She'an
Beit She'an ( he, בֵּית שְׁאָן '), also Beth-shean, formerly Beisan ( ar, بيسان ), is a town in the Northern District of Israel. The town lies at the Beit She'an Valley about 120 m (394 feet) below sea level.
Beit She'an is be ...
and
Nazareth.
The new brigade included five battalions, with its headquarters in
Yavne'el
Yavne'el ( he, יַבְנְאֵל, ar, يفنيئيل) is a moshava and local council in the Northern District of Israel. Founded in 1901, it is one of the oldest rural Jewish communities in the country. According to the Israel Central Bureau o ...
:
War of Independence
During the
1947–48 Civil War in Mandatory Palestine, Golani mostly participated in the battles for the mixed cities in the north, such as the
Battle of Tiberias and battles in
Safed
Safed (known in Hebrew as Tzfat; Sephardic Hebrew & Modern Hebrew: צְפַת ''Tsfat'', Ashkenazi Hebrew: ''Tzfas'', Biblical Hebrew: ''Ṣǝp̄aṯ''; ar, صفد, ''Ṣafad''), is a city in the Northern District of Israel. Located at an elev ...
in April–May 1948. The 12th Battalion captured
al-Shajara
Al-Shajara ( ar, الشجرة) was a Palestinian Arab village depopulated by Israel during the 1948 Arab-Israeli War when its residents were forcefully evacutaed and became refugees. It was located 14 kilometers west of Tiberias on the main highw ...
on May 6, 1948, and the 13th captured
Beit She'an
Beit She'an ( he, בֵּית שְׁאָן '), also Beth-shean, formerly Beisan ( ar, بيسان ), is a town in the Northern District of Israel. The town lies at the Beit She'an Valley about 120 m (394 feet) below sea level.
Beit She'an is be ...
on May 12.
After these operations, responsibility over the northeastern part of the brigade's sector (the
Tel Hai
Tel Hai ( he, תֵּל חַי [] "Hill of Life") is a name of the former Jewish settlement in northern Galilee, the site of an early battle between Jews and Arabs heralding the growing civil conflict, and of a monument, tourist attraction, and a c ...
area, 11th Battalion), was handed over to the
Oded Brigade and other forces.
In December 1948, the 14th and 15th battalions were merged into the Mechanized Attack Battalion.
The first Golani action following the Arab intervention in the 1948 war was the defense of the kibbutzim
Degania Alef
Degania Alef ( he, דְּגַנְיָה א', ) is a kibbutz in northern Israel. The Jewish communal settlement ('' kvutza'') started off in 1910, making it the earliest socialist Zionist farming commune in the Land of Israel. Its status as "the ...
and
Bet
Black Entertainment Television (acronym BET) is an American basic cable channel targeting African-American audiences. It is owned by the CBS Entertainment Group unit of Paramount Global via BET Networks and has offices in New York City, Los ...
from the
Syrian Army in the
Battles of the Kinarot Valley
The Battles of the Kinarot Valley ( he, הַמַּעֲרָכָה בְּבִקְעַת כִּנָּרוֹת, ''HaMa'arakha BeBik'at Kinarot''), is a collective name for a series of military engagements between the Haganah and the Syrian army duri ...
. Units from the Barak Battalion, with
Yiftach (
Palmach
The Palmach (Hebrew: , acronym for , ''Plugot Maḥatz'', "Strike Companies") was the elite fighting force of the Haganah, the underground army of the Yishuv (Jewish community) during the period of the British Mandate for Palestine. The Palmach ...
) and
Guard Corps reinforcements, successfully fended off a Syrian attack. The brigade was also successful at repelling Iraqi forces at the
Battle of Gesher to the south. After the Jordan Valley battles died out, Golani went on the offensive, attacking a number of Arab villages in its sector, and finally mounting
an offensive on Jenin together with the
Carmeli Brigade on June 2, 1948. The attack eventually succeeded, but Jenin was retaken by the
Iraqi Army shortly after.
During the
Battles of the Ten Days between the first and second truces of the war (July 8–18, 1948), Golani managed to repel the
Arab Liberation Army attack on
Sejera from
Lubya
Lubya ( ar, لوبيا "bean"), sometimes referred to as Lubia, was a Palestinian Arab town located ten kilometers west of Tiberias that was captured and destroyed by Israel during the 1948 Arab-Israeli War where its residents were forcefully eva ...
, and helped capture
Nazareth and eventually Lubya in
Operation Dekel.
Golani also participated in
Operation Hiram in October 1948, where at first it staged diversionary attacks from the south, and afterwards went on to capture
Eilabun
Eilabun ( ar, عيلبون ''Ailabun'', he, עַילַבּוּן, ) is an Arab Christian village located in the Beit Netofa Valley around south-west of Safed in northern Galilee between Nazareth and the Sea of Galilee. It ihad a population of in ...
,
Mughar,
Rameh and other villages in the ALA First Yarmouk Battalion's zone.
In December 1948, the brigade was largely transferred to the south in preparation for
Operation Horev
Operation Horev was a large scale offensive against the Egyptian army in the Western Negev at the end of the Arab–Israeli War in 1948 and 1949. Its objective was to trap the Egyptian Army in the Gaza Strip. The operation started on 22 December ...
. Golani fought the Egyptians in the
Gaza Strip
The Gaza Strip (;The New Oxford Dictionary of English (1998) – p.761 "Gaza Strip /'gɑːzə/ a strip of territory under the control of the Palestinian National Authority and Hamas, on the SE Mediterranean coast including the town of Gaza.. ...
, in
Operation Assaf, the
Battle of Hill 86
The Battle of Hill 86 was a military engagement between the Israel Defense Forces and the Egyptian Army as part of Operation ''Horev''. It was fought on December 22–23, 1948, and was the first battle of the operation. The Israelis initiated th ...
and later battles around
Rafah.
In March 1949, the brigade was tasked with capturing Umm Rashrash (today
Eilat) with the
7th Armored Brigade. Golani advanced through the
Arabah
The Arabah, Araba or Aravah ( he, הָעֲרָבָה, ''hāʿĂrāḇā''; ar, وادي عربة, ''Wādī ʿAraba''; lit. "desolate and dry area") is a loosely defined geographic area south of the Dead Sea basin, which forms part of the bord ...
region in the east and arrived at the location two hours after the 7th. This was the last operation of the war.
Border Raids and Suez Crisis
After the
1948 Arab–Israeli War
The 1948 (or First) Arab–Israeli War was the second and final stage of the 1948 Palestine war. It formally began following the end of the British Mandate for Palestine at midnight on 14 May 1948; the Israeli Declaration of Independence had ...
, the Golani Brigade participated in a number of reprisal raids in the first part of the 1950s. In 1951, a Syrian patrol entered the
demilitarized zone near Tel Mutilla, and was attacked by reservist IDF troops. Golani reinforced a reserve battalion and entered a battle that lasted five days, costing the brigade 40 dead and 72 wounded.
The battle caused a number of changes in the IDF doctrine and was a catalyst for the creation of
Unit 101.
On October 28, 1955, after a border incident with Egypt around the
Auja al-Hafir
Auja al-Hafir ( ar, عوجة الحفير, also Auja), was an ancient road junction close to water wells in the western Negev and eastern Sinai. It was the traditional grazing land of the 'Azazme tribe. The border crossing between Egypt and O ...
demilitarized zone, Golani was tasked with leading
Operation Volcano, an attack on the Egyptian army in the area and the largest military operation at the time since the 1948 war.
In the
Suez Crisis
The Suez Crisis, or the Second Arab–Israeli war, also called the Tripartite Aggression ( ar, العدوان الثلاثي, Al-ʿUdwān aṯ-Ṯulāṯiyy) in the Arab world and the Sinai War in Israel,Also known as the Suez War or 1956 Wa ...
of 1956, the brigade's task was to capture the area around the city
Rafah. The 51st Battalion, formerly of
Givati, led the assault on the Rafah Junction. They were ordered to abandon their vehicles after reaching a minefield and coming under fire from Egyptian artillery, although the battalion's sappers slowly created a way forward for a line of vehicles and the battalion captured the intended Egyptian positions. The 12th Battalion captured positions on the Rafah –
Khan Yunis
Khan Yunis ( ar, خان يونس, also spelled Khan Younis or Khan Yunus; translation: ''Caravansary fJonah'') is a city in the southern Gaza Strip. According to the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics, Khan Yunis had a population of 142,6 ...
road, and the 13th—positions south of Rafah.
In early 1960, after a border incident on the backdrop of the Israeli–Syrian water dispute, Golani destroyed the abandoned village al-Tawafiq, which overlooked
Tel Katzir
Tel Katzir ( he, תֵּל קָצִיר, lit. "Harvest Hill") is a kibbutz in northern Israel. Located to the south of the Sea of Galilee, it falls under the jurisdiction of Emek HaYarden Regional Council. In it had a population of .
History
The ...
and was used by the Syrians as a military base.
In March 1962, Golani launched Operation Swallow against the Syrians at Nuqeib on the east bank of the
Sea of Galilee, in response to constant Syrian harassment of Israeli fishermen in the lake.
In May 1965, as part of a larger operation, Golani conducted a raid on
Shunat Nimrin in
Jordan
Jordan ( ar, الأردن; tr. ' ), officially the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan,; tr. ' is a country in Western Asia. It is situated at the crossroads of Asia, Africa, and Europe, within the Levant region, on the East Bank of the Jordan Rive ...
.
Six-Day War
On June 7, 1967, Golani units joined Israeli armored units in its assault on
Nablus, capturing the city by 15:00.
The remainder of the brigade was kept in the north for the planned thrust against the Syrian army on the
Golan Heights
The Golan Heights ( ar, هَضْبَةُ الْجَوْلَانِ, Haḍbatu l-Jawlān or ; he, רמת הגולן, ), or simply the Golan, is a region in the Levant spanning about . The region defined as the Golan Heights differs between di ...
. Planning called for the 12th Battalion to capture
Tel Faher and Burj Babil,
Banias, Tel Hamra and Ayn Fit. The 51st would take Bahriat,
Tel Azaziat and Khirbet as-Suda. The 13th Battalion was left as an operational reserve in the northeastern tip of Israel.
On June 9, the 51st Battalion crossed the border and advanced north along the Syrian patrol road. Its 3rd Company turned west to find Bahriat abandoned, while 2nd Company turned west and flanked Tel Azaziyat. The soldiers drove into a minefield and were forced to abandon their
half-tracks, advancing to the trenches of Tel Azaziyat on foot. The battle continued from 16:21 to 17:06, ending in a Syrian surrender. At 16:46, 3rd Company captured Khirbet as-Suda, along with a T-54 tank. Meanwhile, the 12th Battalion split up to assault Burj Babil and Tel Faher. The forces at Tel Faher met stiff resistance and the 2nd Company now in Burj Babil was called to assist them. By 16:20, the southern position at Tel Faher had been taken. At 17:30, the Golani reconnaissance company came from the southeast to reinforce the 12th, and by 18:20, Tel Faher was in Israeli hands.
The 13th Battalion was called to help the 8th Brigade which was operating in the same area. They helped capture a position north of Za'ura, and the village Jbab al-Mis to the south. Just before dawn, the 51st assaulted Banias and captured it, followed by reinforcements from the 45th Brigade that captured Tel Hamra slightly to the north.
During the course of the war, the Golani Brigade suffered 59 dead and 160 wounded, of them 23 in the
Battle of Tel Faher.
Counter-terror Activities
After the Six-Day War, the activity in northern Israel where Golani was based was mostly limited to raids against
fedayeen
Fedayeen ( ar, فِدائيّين ''fidāʼīyīn'' "self-sacrificers") is an Arabic term used to refer to various military groups willing to sacrifice themselves for a larger campaign.
Etymology
The term ''fedayi'' is derived from Arabic: '' ...
(guerrilla) bases in
Jordan
Jordan ( ar, الأردن; tr. ' ), officially the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan,; tr. ' is a country in Western Asia. It is situated at the crossroads of Asia, Africa, and Europe, within the Levant region, on the East Bank of the Jordan Rive ...
,
Lebanon
Lebanon ( , ar, لُبْنَان, translit=lubnān, ), officially the Republic of Lebanon () or the Lebanese Republic, is a country in Western Asia. It is located between Syria to the north and east and Israel to the south, while Cyprus lie ...
and the
West Bank
The West Bank ( ar, الضفة الغربية, translit=aḍ-Ḍiffah al-Ġarbiyyah; he, הגדה המערבית, translit=HaGadah HaMaʽaravit, also referred to by some Israelis as ) is a landlocked territory near the coast of the Mediter ...
(now under Israeli control). The objectives of these raids was to undermine the fedayeen bases in order to prevent attacks against Israelis. The three main raids against Jordan during this period were: the attack on the village
Wadi al-Yabis across the river from
Tirat Tzvi
Tirat Zvi ( he, טִירַת צְבִי, lit. ''Zvi Castle'') is a religious kibbutz in the Beit She'an Valley, ten kilometers south of the city of Beit She'an, Israel, just west of the Jordan River and the Israel-Jordan border. It falls under the ...
; the attack on the Cones Position across from
Ashdot Ya'akov
Ashdot Ya'akov ( he, אַשְׁדוֹת יַעֲקֹב, lit. ''Ya'akov Rapids'') is a kibbutz in northern Israel. Originally founded in 1924 by a kvutza of Hashomer members from Latvia on the land which is today Gesher, it moved to its current l ...
; and the attack on the Jordanian
Ghor canal and defensive line.
The raid on Wadi al-Yabis, code-named Operation Asuta 12, was carried out by the Golani reconnaissance unit and the 12th Battalion on May 4, 1969. The forces did not meet any resistance and returned after completing the mission of destroying a number of structures. The Cone Position (named after a
cone-shaped building on the premises) was attacked by the reconnaissance unit in July 1969. The guerrillas fled, but alerted the Jordanians who opened artillery fire on the Israelis. After blowing up two bunkers, the Israelis returned.
The destruction of the Ghor canal was a punitive measure against the Jordanian farmers of the area, from where numerous guerrilla attacks against Israeli farmers were initiated. The three positions defending it did not notice the Israeli forces. While the attack did not go as planned when the bombs laid near the canal were detonated prematurely, it was nevertheless destroyed and the water drained into the
Yarmouk River.
On the Lebanese front, Golani participated in numerous raids into
southern
Southern may refer to:
Businesses
* China Southern Airlines, airline based in Guangzhou, China
* Southern Airways, defunct US airline
* Southern Air, air cargo transportation company based in Norwalk, Connecticut, US
* Southern Airways Express, M ...
and eastern
Lebanon
Lebanon ( , ar, لُبْنَان, translit=lubnān, ), officially the Republic of Lebanon () or the Lebanese Republic, is a country in Western Asia. It is located between Syria to the north and east and Israel to the south, while Cyprus lie ...
. In October 1969, the brigade's forces attacked
Itarun (Operation Double Bass 1),
Tel Sadr al-Arus and
'Arab Zahiran. Twenty-four buildings were destroyed across the three villages. Another operation, Double Bass 10, involved a retaliatory raid on
Kfar Kila on January 2, 1970, in response to the kidnapping of an elderly guard from
Metula by
Fatah two days earlier.
Another retaliatory strike came on December 27, 1970, against the village
Yatar, a major guerrilla base.
A major attack was carried out in response to the
1972 Munich Massacre. On September 16, 1972, Operation Extended Turmoil 4 was launched against bases in southern Lebanon, containing an estimated 600 guerrillas. Golani forces reached the Litani river in the east, while
Paratroopers
A paratrooper is a military parachutist—someone trained to parachute into a military operation, and usually functioning as part of an airborne force. Military parachutists (troops) and parachutes were first used on a large scale during Worl ...
reached
Juwaya just south of the river. Most of the guerrilla forces did not engage the Israelis and chose to retreat, although over 40 of them were killed.
In the
Gaza Strip
The Gaza Strip (;The New Oxford Dictionary of English (1998) – p.761 "Gaza Strip /'gɑːzə/ a strip of territory under the control of the Palestinian National Authority and Hamas, on the SE Mediterranean coast including the town of Gaza.. ...
, Golani operated according to the new counter-terror IDF doctrine calling for the adoption of guerrilla tactics, and operating in small teams and in open areas.
During this period, Golani units were also stationed along the
Bar Lev line and participated in the
War of Attrition, especially in the
Qantara East area.
On the 4th of July 1976 a detachment of Golani took part in
Operation Entebbe to rescue hostages held in
Uganda
}), is a landlocked country in East Africa. The country is bordered to the east by Kenya, to the north by South Sudan, to the west by the Democratic Republic of the Congo, to the south-west by Rwanda, and to the south by Tanzania. The ...
by at least six Palestinians and two German terrorists supported by regular Ugandan soldiers. The mission was a resounding success, although there were three hostages killed as well as Lieutenant Colonel
Yonatan Netanyahu, the commander of
Sayeret Matkal who spearheaded the attack.
Yom Kippur War
Like the rest of the IDF, the Golani Brigade was caught by surprise with the first Arab attack of the
Yom Kippur War
The Yom Kippur War, also known as the Ramadan War, the October War, the 1973 Arab–Israeli War, or the Fourth Arab–Israeli War, was an armed conflict fought from October 6 to 25, 1973 between Israel and a coalition of Arab states led by E ...
. The brigade's sector in the
Golan Heights
The Golan Heights ( ar, هَضْبَةُ الْجَوْلَانِ, Haḍbatu l-Jawlān or ; he, רמת הגולן, ), or simply the Golan, is a region in the Levant spanning about . The region defined as the Golan Heights differs between di ...
was lightly manned, and most of its units were either on leave or preparing for a planned major ceremony. The Syrians attacked in three major locations: near
Khushniya,
Quneitra and
Mas'ada. The 13th Battalion's position on
Mount Hermon was
overrun on October 6–7, 1973.
The brigade was assigned defence of the northern Golan, in preparation for a push to retake the Hermon.
After helping fend off two major Syrian offensives, armored forces joined the battle in the area and gave Golani time to reorganize. A northern and southern force were created, with the southern force taking and defending major positions in the heart of the Golan, including
Nafakh, a military base and junction on the
Petroleum Road ''For the Saudi Road see: Trans-Arabian_Pipeline#Tapline_Road''
The Petroleum Road or Tapline Road (Hebrew: כביש הנפט, ''Kvish HaNeft'') is a privately owned north–south asphalt road in the Golan Heights. It is long. It begins near Moun ...
. The Petroleum Road crosses diagonally the northern Golan Heights and the Nafakh base is at the junction with
a road
A roads may be
*motorways or freeways, usually where the local word for motorway begins with A (for example, ''Autobahn'' in German; ''Autostrada'' in Italian).
* main roads or highways, in a system where roads are graded A, B and sometimes lower c ...
which leads down to the strategic
Bnot Yaakov Bridge over the
Jordan River and into northern Israel. By October 10, those parts of the Golan under the brigade's responsibility were back under Israeli control, and the Syrians were pushed back over the
Purple Line. However, the 12th Battalion commander was killed in the battle for
Mount Varda.
The Israelis went to the offensive in the northern Golan on October 11. The 12th Battalion captured
Jubata al-Khashab and Tel al-Ahmad, and later took positions and fended off Syrian attacks in
Mazra'at Beit Jan. The 51st took Tel ad-Dahur, and after a failed attack on
Beit Jann, took the village Hadar.
After the events of October 6, Israel was determined to recapture Mount Hermon, nicknamed the "eyes of the country". The
Second Battle of Mount Hermon commenced on October 8, when the 17th Battalion took tanks and half-tracks up the slopes of the Hermon, but its attack failed and the battalion suffered 25 dead and 57 wounded. During the next 13 days, the Israelis exchanged artillery fire with the Syrians on the Hermon, but the next attack only came on October 21.
Operation Dessert
The Third Battle of Mount Hermon was fought on the night of October 21–22, 1973, between the Israeli Army and the Syrian Army over Mount Hermon, during the last days of the Yom Kippur War. Syrian troops had First Battle of Mount Hermon, c ...
saw a joint force of Paratroopers and Golani retake the mountain. Golani staged a three-pronged attack by the 51st Battalion, the reconnaissance unit, the 17th Battalion and a motorized battalion. The reconnaissance unit captured the cable car position at dawn with support from elements of the 17th Battalion that were seconded to the Recce Unit. The battle ended at 11:00, when the 51st Battalion reported that it had captured the Israeli Golan position.
After the Yom Kippur War, Golani forces were involved in a
war of attrition with Syria until the disengagement agreement of May 31, 1974.
After the agreement was signed, the brigade, which had lost many of its top officers in the war, was transferred into the
Sinai to rebuild and train. They were brought back to the Golan Heights in early 1975.
Operations in Southern Lebanon and First Lebanon War
During the 1970s, Golani conducted frequent raids in
Southern Lebanon in its battle against terror attacks and guerrilla raids by the Palestinian
Fatah organization.
In March 1978, with the launch of
Operation Litani
The 1978 South Lebanon conflict (codenamed Operation Litani by Israel) began after Israel invaded southern Lebanon up to the Litani River in March 1978, in response to the Coastal Road massacre near Tel Aviv by Lebanon-based Palestinian ...
, much of the brigade moved to capture the village
al-Hiyam. The 12th Battalion captured
Marjayoun
Marjayoun ( ar, مرج عيون: Lebanese pronunciation), also Marj 'Ayoun, Marjuyun or Marjeyoun (lit. "meadow of springs") and Jdeideh / Jdeida / Jdeidet Marjeyoun, is a Lebanese town and an administrative district, the Marjeyoun District, in ...
and
Rashaya al-Fukhar.
After clearing these villages, Golani units returned to Israel and advanced west along the
Litani River, capturing a number of villages and stopping at
Abbasiya just east of
Tyre.
In Operation Peace for Galilee, which later became known as the
First Lebanon War, Golani's 51st Battalion fought in the vicinity of
Nabatieh, and on June 6, 1982, the reconnaissance unit assaulted the PLO-held
Beaufort Castle.
The 12th Battalion was subordinated to the
Barak Armored Brigade, with a planned thrust along the Lebanese coastal strip to Tyre.
This force captured the villages
Doha
Doha ( ar, الدوحة, ad-Dawḥa or ''ad-Dōḥa'') is the capital city and main financial hub of Qatar. Located on the Persian Gulf coast in the east of the country, north of Al Wakrah and south of Al Khor (city), Al Khor, it is home to m ...
and
Kafr Sil on June 9–10, 1982, on the outskirts of
Beirut
Beirut, french: Beyrouth is the capital and largest city of Lebanon. , Greater Beirut has a population of 2.5 million, which makes it the third-largest city in the Levant region. The city is situated on a peninsula at the midpoint o ...
.
The brigade also took part in the
Siege of Beirut, where its units were present until the end of the war in September 1982.
Second Intifada
Two years after the start of the
Second Intifada
The Second Intifada ( ar, الانتفاضة الثانية, ; he, האינתיפאדה השנייה, ), also known as the Al-Aqsa Intifada ( ar, انتفاضة الأقصى, label=none, '), was a major Palestinian uprising against Israel ...
in 2000, Israel launched
Operation Defensive Shield in response to growing Palestinian terrorist attacks against Israeli soldiers and civilians. Golani participated in a number of battles against Palestinian militants, including the siege of the Ramallah
Mukataa, capture of
Tulkarm, and the
Battle of Jenin.
Second Lebanon War and afterwards
In the
Second Lebanon War in July 2006, Golani participated in the
Battle of Maroun al-Ras and the 12th and 51st battalions fought in the
Battle of Bint Jbeil
The Battle of Bint Jbeil was one of the main battles of the 2006 Lebanon War. Bint Jbeil (, Bint Jubayl) is a major town of some 20,000 (mainly Shia) inhabitants in Southern Lebanon. Although Brig.-Gen. Gal Hirsch announced on 25 July that the ...
.
During the Battle, a hand grenade was thrown over the wall, Major
Roi Klein jumped on the live grenade and muffled the explosion with his body.
Eight soldiers and commanders from the 51st battalion were killed.
The Golani Brigade also participated in
Operation Cast Lead. On January 5, 2009, Golani soldiers Maj. Dagan Wartman (32), Staff Sgt. Nitai Stern (21), and Cpl. Yousef Muadi (19) were killed in northern Gaza in a friendly fire incident when a tank accidentally fired a live round at an abandoned building in Jabalya in which Golani forces were taking cover. Three other soldiers were severely wounded and twenty more had minor injuries.
Following the deployment of Golani soldiers in Hebron in December 2011, the Left wing press has reported that city residents have sensed a 'manifest worsening of soldiers behavior', as a result of 'detention, intimidation, provocation and arrest of children and teenagers; arbitrary detention of Palestinians or blocking access to roads; beating or threatened beating of detained residents; religion-based provocation and insults; forcible entry into homes and violation of Palestinian property' and 'reprisals against local and international human rights activists.'
At 1:05 a.m. on July 20, 2014, during
Operation Protective Edge, seven Golani soldiers from the 13th Battalion were killed in the
Battle of Shuja'iyya when an
M113 armoured personnel carrier they were being transported in caught fire after an explosive device was set off under it. Reportedly, the APC was not fitted with armor that can withstand this type of blast. At 1:30 a.m., a soldier was killed when two soldiers got into a firefight with terrorists. At 5:45 a.m., another Golani force got into a firefight with terrorists. Two soldiers were killed. At 8:50 a.m., three soldiers were killed when a Golani squad was caught inside a burning building, for a total of thirteen Golani soldiers killed in action that morning.
The commander of the Golani Brigade, Colonel
Ghassan Alian, the first non-Jewish commander of the brigade and the highest ranking
Druze
The Druze (; ar, دَرْزِيٌّ, ' or ', , ') are an Arabic-speaking esoteric ethnoreligious group from Western Asia who adhere to the Druze faith, an Abrahamic, monotheistic, syncretic, and ethnic religion based on the teachings of ...
in the IDF, was also lightly injured in his eye in an exchange of fire but later returned to his soldiers after being treated.
Insignia
The symbol of the brigade is a green
olive tree with its roots on a yellow background. It was drawn by the 12th Battalion's intelligence officer, who came from kibbutz
Beit Keshet, home to numerous olive trees.
However, other sources claim it's an
oak located in
Yavne'el
Yavne'el ( he, יַבְנְאֵל, ar, يفنيئيل) is a moshava and local council in the Northern District of Israel. Founded in 1901, it is one of the oldest rural Jewish communities in the country. According to the Israel Central Bureau o ...
.
The legend of the Golani Brigade's tree
IDF Spokesperson
The IDF Spokesperson's Unit ( he, דובר צה"ל, ''Dover Tsahal'', abbr. Dotz) is the unit in the IDF Operations Directorate, responsible for information policy and media relations. The unit is led by the IDF Spokesperson, a brigadier general a ...
January 26, 2013 The colors green and yellow symbolize the green hills of the Galilee, where the brigade was stationed at the time of its creation while the olive tree is known for its strong roots that penetrate and firmly hold the land, reflecting the brigade's connection with the State of Israel's heritage. The yellow background on which the tree stands reflects the brigade's role in the south of the country in the war of 1948, when it captured Umm-Rashrash, now Eilat, Israel's southernmost city.
Early Golani soldiers were farmers and new immigrants, so the strong connection to the land (earth) was important to honor. For this reason, Golani's soldiers are designated by brown berets; the brown color symbolizing the brigade's connection with the soil of the Land of Israel.
The Golani Brigade's official song was written by Amos Ettinger, composed by Efi Netzer and popularly performed by Yehoram Gaon. The song mentions the brigade's many battles, including references to Rafah in the Sinai War, Tel Faher in the Six-Day War, and Mount Hermon in the Yom Kippur War.
Namesakes
At the Golani Interchange
Golani Interchange (), known as Maskana Junction in Arabic, is a key road interchange in the Lower Galilee region of northern Israel, located east of Haifa and west of Tiberias, at the intersection of highways 65 and 77. The Golani Brigade Mus ...
in the upper Galilee east of Haifa
Haifa ( he, חֵיפָה ' ; ar, حَيْفَا ') is the third-largest city in Israel—after Jerusalem and Tel Aviv—with a population of in . The city of Haifa forms part of the Haifa metropolitan area, the third-most populous metropol ...
stands the Golani Brigade Museum commemorating the brigade and its fallen troops. The site is also used for battalion ceremonies.
Equipment
Golani Brigade's standard assault rifle is the X95. Other infantry weapons are Negev LMG, FN Mag, M24 SWS and M2 Browning
The M2 machine gun or Browning .50 caliber machine gun (informally, "Ma Deuce") is a heavy machine gun that was designed towards the end of World War I by John Browning. Its design is similar to Browning's earlier M1919 Browning machine gun, ...
. Rockets and missile include the M72 LAW, RPG-7, Rafael MATADOR
A bullfighter (or matador) is a performer in the activity of bullfighting. ''Torero'' () or ''toureiro'' (), both from Latin ''taurarius'', are the Spanish and Portuguese words for bullfighter and describe all the performers in the activit ...
, TOW and Spike family.
The Golani Brigade's equipment includes a number of heavy IDF Achzarit armored personnel carriers
An armoured personnel carrier (APC) is a broad type of armoured military vehicle designed to transport personnel and equipment in combat zones. Since World War I, APCs have become a very common piece of military equipment around the world.
Ac ...
, which is built around a re-manufactured T-55
The T-54 and T-55 tanks are a series of Soviet main battle tanks introduced in the years following the Second World War. The first T-54 prototype was completed at Nizhny Tagil by the end of 1945.Steven Zaloga, T-54 and T-55 Main Battle Tank ...
tank chassis with a new engine. The Achzarit is a very heavily armored vehicle designed for the requirements of urban fighting, after Israeli M-113 APCs proved insufficiently armored against car bombs, mines, and rocket-propelled grenades. Today they are replaced by the IDF Namer, advanced heavy APC based on a Merkava chassis. However, as of 2014, the M113 was still seeing combat service as an APC in the brigade.
Units
Commanders of the Golani Brigade
Bibliography
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References
External links
The Official Golani Web Site
In Hebrew
Army seals off Hizbullah stronghold of Bint Jbail
{{Israel Defense Forces
Military units and formations established in 1948
1948 Arab–Israeli War
Brigades of Israel
Northern Command (Israel)
Infantry of Israel