Special forces units in the
Israel Defense Forces encompass a broad definition of specialist units. Such units are usually a
regiment
A regiment is a military unit. Its role and size varies markedly, depending on the country, service and/or a specialisation.
In Medieval Europe, the term "regiment" denoted any large body of front-line soldiers, recruited or conscript ...
or a
battalion
A battalion is a military unit, typically consisting of 300 to 1,200 soldiers commanded by a lieutenant colonel, and subdivided into a number of companies (usually each commanded by a major or a captain). In some countries, battalions a ...
in strength.
Sayeret ( he, סיירת,
pl.: ''sayarot''), or ''
reconnaissance
In military operations, reconnaissance or scouting is the exploration of an area by military forces to obtain information about enemy forces, terrain, and other activities.
Examples of reconnaissance include patrolling by troops (skirmisher ...
''
units
Unit may refer to:
Arts and entertainment
* UNIT, a fictional military organization in the science fiction television series ''Doctor Who''
* Unit of action, a discrete piece of action (or beat) in a theatrical presentation
Music
* Unit (album), ...
in the
Israel Defense Forces (IDF) nomenclature, specialize in intelligence gathering and surveillance. In practice, these units specialize in
commando
Royal Marines from 40 Commando on patrol in the Sangin">40_Commando.html" ;"title="Royal Marines from 40 Commando">Royal Marines from 40 Commando on patrol in the Sangin area of Afghanistan are pictured
A commando is a combatant, or operativ ...
and other
special forces roles, in addition to reconnaissance (the degree of specialization varies by units and current needs).
Mista'arvim
Mista'arvim ( he, מסתערבים; ar, مستعربين, translit=musta'ribīn), also spelled mista'aravim, is the name given to counter-terrorism units of the Israel Defense Forces, Israel Border Police, and Israel Police who operate undercov ...
( he, מסתערבים, ''lit.'' Arabized; ar, مستعربين, ''Musta'arabin''), also spelled as mistaravim, are
counter-terrorism
Counterterrorism (also spelled counter-terrorism), also known as anti-terrorism, incorporates the practices, military tactics, techniques, and strategies that governments, law enforcement, business, and intelligence agencies use to combat or ...
units in whose members are specifically trained to operate undercover, in enemy territory, in order to assassinate or capture wanted targets.
Special forces units in the IDF
Unit 101
Commando
Unit 101
Commando Unit 101 ( he, יחידה 101) was a special forces unit of the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF), founded and commanded by Ariel Sharon on orders from Prime Minister David Ben-Gurion in August 1953. They were armed with non-standard weapons ...
, the founding Israeli special forces unit, was established and commanded by
Ariel Sharon on orders from
Prime Minister
A prime minister, premier or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. Under those systems, a prime minister i ...
David Ben-Gurion
David Ben-Gurion ( ; he, דָּוִד בֶּן-גּוּרִיּוֹן ; born David Grün; 16 October 1886 – 1 December 1973) was the primary national founder of the State of Israel and the first prime minister of Israel. Adopting the nam ...
in August 1953.
They were armed with non-standard weapons and tasked with carrying out
retribution operations across the state's borders – in particular, establishing small unit maneuvers, activation and tactical insertion and exit tactics.
Members of the unit were recruited only from agricultural
Kibbutzim and
Moshavim. Membership in the unit was by invitation only, and any new member had to be voted on by all existing members before they were accepted.
The unit was merged into the
890th Paratroop Battalion during January 1954, on orders of General Dayan, Chief of Staff, because he wanted their experience and spirit to be spread among all infantry units of IDF starting with the
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 World ...
. They are considered to have had a significant influence on the development of subsequent Israeli special forces units.
Sayeret units today
All combat
brigade
A brigade is a major tactical military formation that typically comprises three to six battalions plus supporting elements. It is roughly equivalent to an enlarged or reinforced regiment. Two or more brigades may constitute a division.
B ...
s in the IDF have a unit with improved weaponry and training used for reconnaissance and special forces missions, trained to use advanced weapons and reconnaissance technology, as well as hand-to-hand combat. Historically the brigades used to only have one company-sized unit outfitted to do this job, known as Palsar (Hebrew
contraction of: פלוגת-סיור, ''Plugat Siyur'' (singular) / ''Plugot Siyur'' (plural), "Reconnaissance Company"). Although the ''Palsar'' are mostly oriented at battlefield support (which is their ''raison d'être''), many have participated in
special operations
Special operations (S.O.) are military activities conducted, according to NATO, by "specially designated, organized, selected, trained, and equipped forces using unconventional techniques and modes of employment". Special operations may include ...
during recent years. All
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 ...
units as well as some armored units have ''Palsar''.
While in the past there were differences between the ''Siyur'' units, due to the experiences of the past decades the IDF is now consolidating them into larger units with many different capabilities: battalion-sized units called Gadsar (contraction of ''Gdud Siyur'', "Reconnaissance battalion"). Each ''Gadsar'' is made up of three specialized ''Plugot'' (companies): demolitions and
combat engineering
A combat engineer (also called pioneer or sapper) is a type of soldier who performs military engineering tasks in support of land forces combat operations. Combat engineers perform a variety of military engineering, tunnel and mine warfare tas ...
(''Plugat Habalah Handasit'', or Palhan), reconnaissance (''Plugat Siyur'', Palsar) and anti-tank (''Pluga Neged Tankim'', or Palnat).
On late December 2015, some Ground Force special forces units have been assembled in the
Oz Brigade
The 89th "Oz" Brigade ("Courage" in Hebrew) is a brigade of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), dedicated entirely to special operations. It was established on December 27, 2015. The new brigade, dubbed the Commando Brigade, is composed solely of i ...
.
Other SF units or ''Sayaret'' are larger units, operating directly under the
General Staff. They are tasked with the most sensitive missions but they also support other conventional and SF units, if needed. Those units are
Sayeret Matkal
General Staff Reconnaissance Unit (formerly Unit 269 or Unit 262), more commonly known as Sayeret Matkal ( he, סיירת מטכ״ל) is the special reconnaissance unit (''sayeret'') of Israel's General Staff (''matkal''). It is the prime special ...
,
Shayetet 13 and
Shaldag.
IDF units
Reconnaissance units
These are the most well-known reconnaissance units. Their operators are proficient in long range solo navigation, as opposed to other special forces units in the IDF where long range navigation is done with a minimum of 2 operators.
*General Staff Reconnaissance Unit 269 –
Sayeret Matkal
General Staff Reconnaissance Unit (formerly Unit 269 or Unit 262), more commonly known as Sayeret Matkal ( he, סיירת מטכ״ל) is the special reconnaissance unit (''sayeret'') of Israel's General Staff (''matkal''). It is the prime special ...
– the IDF's principal ''Sayeret'' unit, used mainly to obtain strategic intelligence behind enemy lines and to perform hostage-rescue missions on foreign soil. It is directly subordinate to the Israeli
Military Intelligence Directorate (AMAN).
*13th Flotilla –
Shayetet 13 – the naval commando unit, equivalent to the
SEAL Team six
The Naval Special Warfare Development Group (NSWDG), abbreviated as DEVGRU ("Development Group") and commonly known as SEAL Team Six, is the United States Navy component of the Joint Special Operations Command (JSOC). The unit is often referre ...
or British
Special Boat Service
The Special Boat Service (SBS) is the special forces unit of the United Kingdom's Royal Navy. The SBS can trace its origins back to the Second World War when the Army Special Boat Section was formed in 1940. After the Second World War, the Roya ...
. It is part of the
Israeli Navy
The Israeli Navy ( he, חיל הים הישראלי, ''Ḥeil HaYam HaYisraeli'' (English: The Israeli Sea Corps); ar, البحرية الإسرائيلية) is the naval warfare service arm of the Israel Defense Forces, operating primarily in ...
and tasked with maritime hostage-rescue missions. Founded in 1948 by former members of the
Palyam
Palyam ( he, פלי"ם, an abbreviation of ''Plugat HaYam'' (), lit. ''Sea Company'') was the sea force of the Palmach.
History
Palyam was set up in April 1945 as the Palmach's tenth company (Pluga Yud) which originated from the Palmach's Naval ...
, the naval branch of the
Haganah.
*Unit 5101 –
Shaldag – founded in 1974 by several former Sayeret Matkal veterans, it is the
Israeli Air Force
The Israeli Air Force (IAF; he, זְרוֹעַ הָאֲוִיר וְהֶחָלָל, Zroa HaAvir VeHahalal, tl, "Air and Space Arm", commonly known as , ''Kheil HaAvir'', "Air Corps") operates as the aerial warfare branch of the Israel Defens ...
's commando unit, specializing in
forward air control, aerial & special reconnaissance, and target designation outside of Israel's borders.
89th "Oz" Brigade
![Flickr - Israel Defense Forces - Like a Rock](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/9a/Flickr_-_Israel_Defense_Forces_-_Like_a_Rock.jpg)
*Unit 212 –
Maglan
Maglan (Hebrew: מגלן. Also known as Unit 212 or Sayeret Maglan) is an Israeli sayeret (''reconnaissance'') unit, which specializes in operating behind enemy lines and deep in enemy territory using advanced technologies and weaponry. Though ...
– a commando unit which specializes in operating behind enemy lines.
*Unit 217 –
Duvdevan
Unit 217, frequently called Duvdevan ( he, דובדבן, lit=cherry), is a ''mistaʽaravim'' unit in the Commando Brigade of the Israel Defense Forces.
It is notable for its undercover operations in urban areas, during which its operators of ...
–
mistaravim
Mista'arvim ( he, מסתערבים; ar, مستعربين, translit=musta'ribīn), also spelled mista'aravim, is the name given to counter-terrorism units of the Israel Defense Forces, Israel Border Police, and Israel Police who operate undercov ...
unit.
*Unit 621 –
Egoz – counter-guerrilla unit.
Infantry Corps
The regular five infantry brigades (
Golani,
Givati
The 84th "Givati" Brigade ( he, חֲטִיבַת גִּבְעָתִי, , "Hill Brigade" or "Highland Brigade") is an Israel Defense Forces infantry brigade. Until 2005, the Brigade used to be stationed within the Gaza Strip and primarily perf ...
,
Nahal,
Kfir and the
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 World ...
) operate their own ''Palsars'', today joint with ''Pal'nat'' and ''Pal'han'' to form a ''"Gad'sar/G'dud Siur"'', or Reconnaissance Battalion. Each unit is subordinate to a specific brigade command, though they are not restricted to it.
* 93rd Reconnaissance Battalion –
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 Centra ...
* 631st Reconnaissance Battalion –
Golani Brigade
* 846th Reconnaissance Battalion –
Givati Brigade
*
934th Reconnaissance Battalion –
Nahal Brigade
* 5135th Reconnaissance Battalion –
Paratroopers Brigade
Armored Corps
* ''Palsar'' 7 – the
7th Armored Brigade reconnaissance unit.
* ''Palsar'' 188 – the
188th Armored Brigade
The 188th "Barak" (Lightning) Armored Brigade is an Israeli armored brigade, subordinate to Israel's Northern Regional Command. The emblem of the Barak Armored Brigade is a red-bordered rhombus bearing a sword against a blue and white background ...
reconnaissance unit.
* ''Palsar'' 401 – the
401st Brigade reconnaissance unit.
Artillery Corps
*
Meitar/Moran – a unit operating long range anti-tank
''Tammuz'' missiles.
* Sky Rider – a combat unit operating the
Elbit Skylark drone.
Combat Engineering Corps
*
Sayeret Yahalom
Yahalom (Hebrew language: יהל"ם - יחידה הנדסית למשימות מיוחדות) is a special combat engineering unit of the Israeli Engineering Corps of the Israel Defense Forces. The name "Yahalom" (Diamond in Hebrew) is an abbrevi ...
– the engineering special forces unit, its missions range from
EOD and
bomb disposal
Bomb disposal is an explosives engineering profession using the process by which hazardous explosive devices are rendered safe. ''Bomb disposal'' is an all-encompassing term to describe the separate, but interrelated functions in the milita ...
to
counter-mining warfare.
Combat Intelligence Collection Corps
*
Combat Intelligence Collection Special Forces – tasked with intelligence-gathering, they operate either alone or in conjunction with other IDF units. They also provide target designation in wartime.
Air Force
*
Unit 669
Airborne Combat Rescue And Evacuation Unit 669 ( he, יחידת החילוץ והפינוי הקרבי בהיטס 669,''Yechidat HaHilu'tz VeHaPinu'i HaKravi Behetes 669'') is the Israel Defense Forces heliborne Combat Search and Rescue extract ...
–
combat search and rescue unit.
*
Unit 5700 – establish
Advance airfield Advance airfield and forward airfield are military terms for a relatively primitive ad-hoc airfield used for refueling and re-arming air units as part of forward operations near the enemy. Also called advanced airfield for its advanced position, not ...
and forward airfield.
Navy
*
Shayetet 7 - the unit which operates Israel's submarines.
*
Unit Snapir
Unit may refer to:
Arts and entertainment
* UNIT, a fictional military organization in the science fiction television series ''Doctor Who''
* Unit of action, a discrete piece of action (or beat) in a theatrical presentation
Music
* ''Unit'' (al ...
– force protection and harbor security unit.
*
Unit YALTAM
Unit may refer to:
Arts and entertainment
* UNIT, a fictional military organization in the science fiction television series ''Doctor Who''
* Unit of action, a discrete piece of action (or beat) in a theatrical presentation
Music
* ''Unit'' (al ...
– defensive
divers
Diver or divers may refer to:
*Diving (sport), the sport of performing acrobatics while jumping or falling into water
*Practitioner of underwater diving, including:
**scuba diving,
**freediving,
**surface-supplied diving,
**saturation diving, a ...
unit tasked with mine countermeasures, explosive ordnance disposal and salvage and recovery. Not to be confused with Shayetet 13's own underwater unit.
Other units
![Flickr - Israel Defense Forces - Soldiers in Deep Snow](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d5/Flickr_-_Israel_Defense_Forces_-_Soldiers_in_Deep_Snow.jpg)
*
Alpinist – IDF mountain-warfare unit operating 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 ...
; provides protection for IDF electronic listening posts on
Mount Hermon
Mount Hermon ( ar, جبل الشيخ or جبل حرمون / ALA-LC: ''Jabal al-Shaykh'' ("Mountain of the Sheikh") or ''Jabal Haramun''; he, הַר חֶרְמוֹן, ''Har Hermon'') is a mountain cluster constituting the southern end of th ...
and
Mount Avital This is a list of mountains in the Golan Heights.
}, ''Har Baron'')
, align="center" ,
, align="left" ,
, Part of an extinct volcano in the northeastern Golan Heights.
, -
, align="center" , Mount Hermon ( ar, جبل الشيخ, ''Jabal el-Sha ...
. This unit also provides alpine rescue services. (
Northern Command).
*
General Staff Security Unit – bodyguard unit of the
Chief of General Staff and other top dignitaries.
*
LOTAR – the IDF counter-terrorism school. Most IDF special forces units mentioned go through weeks of training lead by LOTAR at the
Mitkan Adam base, and as such the school includes an operational unit made up by the school's instructors.
*
LOTAR Eilat
LOTAR Eilat (in hebrew language, hebrew: לוט״ר אילת) is an Israel Defense Forces, IDF special force unit whose mission is to protect the safety of the residents and tourists of Eilat against terrorism and is also specialized in hostage re ...
– reserve force counter-terrorism/hostage-rescue unit based at the southern Israeli port city of
Eilat. (
Southern Command).
*
Oketz
The Oketz Unit ( he, יחידת עוקץ, ''lit.'' sting), is the independent canine special forces (sayeret) unit of the Israel Defense Forces.
History
It was founded in 1939 as part of Haganah, and later dismantled in 1954. In 1974, a new un ...
– the IDF's special K-9 unit.
*
School Of Operational Mobility (BALNAM) – Training of special forces and units from the entire IDF as tactical mobile personnel.
Disbanded units
*
Unit 101
Commando Unit 101 ( he, יחידה 101) was a special forces unit of the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF), founded and commanded by Ariel Sharon on orders from Prime Minister David Ben-Gurion in August 1953. They were armed with non-standard weapons ...
– the first Israeli special forces unit, commanded by
Ariel Sharon.
*
Samson Unit
Unit 367, Samson Unit, or Shimshon (), was a special forces unit within the Israeli Defense Forces named after the biblical figure Samson.
History
Shimshon unit's ''modus operandi'' focused on undercover military operations against Palestinian mi ...
– Gaza Strip mista'arvim unit.
*
Sayeret Shaked – IDF Southern Command special forces unit.
*
Sayeret Duchifat – Armored Corps anti-tank unit.
*
Sayeret Rimon –
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.. ...
infiltration of terrorists and border infiltration.
Law enforcement
Border Police
*
Yamam
The Yamam ( he, ימ"מ, an acronym for ''Centralized Special Unit'' , ''Yeḥida Merkazit Meyuḥedet''), also called in Hebrew and Israel's National Counter Terror Unit (I.N.C.T.U.) in English, is Israel's national counter-terrorism unit, ...
– a counter-terrorist unit specializing in hostage-rescue operations and offensive take-over raids against targets in civilian areas
*
Yamas
The Yamas ( sa, यम, translit=Yama), and their complement, the Niyamas, represent a series of "right living" or ethical rules within Yoga philosophy. It means "reining in" or "control". These are restraints for proper conduct as given in the ...
– special operations and
mista'arvim
Mista'arvim ( he, מסתערבים; ar, مستعربين, translit=musta'ribīn), also spelled mista'aravim, is the name given to counter-terrorism units of the Israel Defense Forces, Israel Border Police, and Israel Police who operate undercov ...
unit directly subordinate to the
Shin Bet
The Israel Security Agency (ISA; he, שֵׁירוּת הַבִּיטָּחוֹן הַכְּלָלִי; ''Sherut ha-Bitaẖon haKlali''; "the General Security Service"; ar, جهاز الأمن العام), better known by the acronym Shabak ( he, ...
.
Police
*
Yasam – quick response and
riot police
Riot police are police who are organized, deployed, trained or equipped to confront crowds, protests or riots.
Riot police may be regular police who act in the role of riot police in particular situations or they may be separate units organize ...
unit.
*
Gideonim – undercover and
mistaravim
Mista'arvim ( he, מסתערבים; ar, مستعربين, translit=musta'ribīn), also spelled mista'aravim, is the name given to counter-terrorism units of the Israel Defense Forces, Israel Border Police, and Israel Police who operate undercov ...
unit.
*
YAGAL – counter-smuggling unit.
Prison Service
*
Metzada unit – quick response and intervention force and specializes in suppression of prisoner uprisings.
*
Nahshon
In the Hebrew Bible, ' ''Nahshon ( he, נַחְשׁוֹן ''Naḥšon'') was a tribal leader of the Judahites during the wilderness wanderings of the Book of Numbers. In the King James Version, the name is spelled Naashon, and is within modern ...
– intervention and conveyance unit; deals with searches, silencing disturbances, guarding IPS staff, etc.
*
Dror – counter-narcotics unit
See also
*
Mista'arvim
Mista'arvim ( he, מסתערבים; ar, مستعربين, translit=musta'ribīn), also spelled mista'aravim, is the name given to counter-terrorism units of the Israel Defense Forces, Israel Border Police, and Israel Police who operate undercov ...
– Undercover counter-terrorism personnel/units specifically trained to assimilate among the local
Arab
The Arabs (singular: Arab; singular ar, عَرَبِيٌّ, DIN 31635: , , plural ar, عَرَب, DIN 31635: , Arabic pronunciation: ), also known as the Arab people, are an ethnic group mainly inhabiting the Arab world in Western Asia, ...
population. They are commonly tasked with performing intelligence gathering, law enforcement, hostage rescue and counter-terrorism, and to use disguise and surprise as their main weapons.
*
Mossad – Israel's covert intelligence and special operations agency abroad.
**
Kidon
Kidon ( he, כידון, "bayonet", "javelin" or a "spear") is the elite unit within Israel's Mossad that is allegedly responsible for the planning and execution of clandestine assassination campaigns against enemies of the Israeli state.
Unc ...
– a department within Mossad that is allegedly responsible for selective high-profile
assassination.
*
Aman
Aman may refer to:Poli
People First names
* Aman Hambleton (born 1992), Canadian chess grandmaster
* Aman Hayer (born 1979), Bhangra musician
* Aman Verma (actor) (born 1971), Indian actor
Surnames
* Mohammed Aman (born 1994), Ethiopian mi ...
– Israel's military intelligence agency.
*
Shin Bet
The Israel Security Agency (ISA; he, שֵׁירוּת הַבִּיטָּחוֹן הַכְּלָלִי; ''Sherut ha-Bitaẖon haKlali''; "the General Security Service"; ar, جهاز الأمن العام), better known by the acronym Shabak ( he, ...
– Israel's internal security agency.
*
Oz Brigade
The 89th "Oz" Brigade ("Courage" in Hebrew) is a brigade of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), dedicated entirely to special operations. It was established on December 27, 2015. The new brigade, dubbed the Commando Brigade, is composed solely of i ...
– the Ground Forces formation grouping some of the Israeli special forces units.
* ''
Israel's Arab Warriors'' – a documentary on the Arab soldiers of the IDF.
References
External links
IDF official Websiteisayeret.com – Israeli Special Forces Database
{{Israel Defense Forces
Israel Defense Forces