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Special forces units in the
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 ...
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 ...
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 ( skirmishe ...
'' units in the
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) 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 Special forces and special operations forces (SOF) are military units trained to conduct special operations. NATO has defined special operations as "military activities conducted by specially designated, organized, selected, trained and equi ...
roles, in addition to reconnaissance (the degree of specialization varies by units and current needs). Mista'arvim ( 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 Ariel Sharon (; ; ; also known by his diminutive Arik, , born Ariel Scheinermann, ; 26 February 1928 – 11 January 2014) was an Israeli general and politician who served as the 11th Prime Minister of Israel from March 2001 until April 2006. S ...
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 is ...
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 Reprisal operations ( he, פעולות התגמול, ') were raids carried out by the Israel Defense Forces in the 1950s and 1960s in response to frequent fedayeen attacks during which armed Arab militants infiltrated Israel from Syria, Egyp ...
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
Kibbutz A kibbutz ( he, קִבּוּץ / , lit. "gathering, clustering"; plural: kibbutzim / ) is an intentional community in Israel that was traditionally based on agriculture. The first kibbutz, established in 1909, was Degania. Today, farming h ...
im and
Moshav A moshav ( he, מוֹשָׁב, plural ', lit. ''settlement, village'') is a type of Israeli town or settlement, in particular a type of cooperative agricultural community of individual farms pioneered by the Labour Zionists between 1904 ...
im. 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 Worl ...
. 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. ...
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 Contraction may refer to: Linguistics * Contraction (grammar), a shortened word * Poetic contraction, omission of letters for poetic reasons * Elision, omission of sounds ** Syncope (phonology), omission of sounds in a word * Synalepha, merged ...
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 A military staff or general staff (also referred to as army staff, navy staff, or air staff within the individual services) is a group of officers, enlisted and civilian staff who serve the commander of a division or other large military ...
. 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 Shayetet 13 ( he, שייטת 13, lit. ''Flotilla 13'') is a unit of the Israeli Navy and one of the primary sayeret ''(reconnaissance)'' units of the Israel Defense Forces. Shayetet 13 specializes in sea-to-land incursions, counter-terrorism, ...
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 Shayetet 13 ( he, שייטת 13, lit. ''Flotilla 13'') is a unit of the Israeli Navy and one of the primary sayeret ''(reconnaissance)'' units of the Israel Defense Forces. Shayetet 13 specializes in sea-to-land incursions, counter-terrorism, ...
– 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 refer ...
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 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 ...
. *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 Forward air control is the provision of guidance to close air support (CAS) aircraft intended to ensure that their attack hits the intended target and does not injure friendly troops. This task is carried out by a forward air controller (FAC). ...
, aerial & special reconnaissance, and target designation outside of Israel's borders.


89th "Oz" Brigade

*Unit 212 – Maglan – 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 unit. *Unit 621 – Egoz – counter-guerrilla unit.


Infantry Corps

The regular five infantry brigades ( Golani, Givati,
Nahal Nahal ( he, נח"ל) (acronym of ''Noar Halutzi Lohem'', lit. Fighting Pioneer Youth) is a program that combines military service with mostly social welfare and informal education projects such as youth movement activities, as well as training ...
, 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 Worl ...
) 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 Central ...
* 631st Reconnaissance Battalion –
Golani Brigade The 1st "Golani" Brigade ( he, חֲטִיבַת גּוֹלָנִי) is an Israeli military infantry brigade that is subordinated to the 36th Division and traditionally associated with the Northern Command. It is one of the five infantry brigade ...
* 846th Reconnaissance Battalion –
Givati Brigade 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 ...
* 934th Reconnaissance Battalion
Nahal Brigade The 933rd "Nahal" Brigade is one of the Israel Defense Forces main infantry brigades. From August 2019 to June 2021, the brigade was led by . On June 28, was appointed as the new commander. However, three days later, on July 1, Asman suddenly ...
* 5135th Reconnaissance Battalion –
Paratroopers Brigade The 35th Brigade ( he, חֲטִיבַת הַצַּנְחָנִים, ''Hativat HaTzanhanim''), also known as the Paratroopers Brigade, is an infantry brigade unit of paratroopers within the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), and forms a major part of ...


Armored Corps

* ''Palsar'' 7 – the 7th Armored Brigade reconnaissance unit. * ''Palsar'' 188 – the 188th Armored Brigade 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 The Elbit Systems Skylark I and Skylark II are miniature UAVs developed by Elbit Systems. Initial models of the Skylark entered service in 2008. Design and development Skylark I The Skylark I is a Miniature UAV. It is designed as a manpack ...
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 abbrevia ...
– 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 milit ...
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 extracti ...
combat search and rescue Combat search and rescue (CSAR) are search and rescue operations that are carried out during war that are within or near combat zones. A CSAR mission may be carried out by a task force of helicopters, ground-attack aircraft, aerial refueling ...
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 – force protection and harbor security unit. * Unit YALTAM – defensive divers 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

* 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 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 – reserve force counter-terrorism/hostage-rescue unit based at the southern Israeli port city of
Eilat Eilat ( , ; he, אֵילַת ; ar, إِيلَات, Īlāt) is Israel's southernmost city, with a population of , a busy port and popular resort at the northern tip of the Red Sea, on what is known in Israel as the Gulf of Eilat and in Jorda ...
. ( 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 Ariel Sharon (; ; ; also known by his diminutive Arik, , born Ariel Scheinermann, ; 26 February 1928 – 11 January 2014) was an Israeli general and politician who served as the 11th Prime Minister of Israel from March 2001 until April 2006. S ...
. * Samson Unit – 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 – special operations and mista'arvim unit directly subordinate to the Shin Bet.


Police

*
Yasam The Yasam ( he, יס"מ) is the Israel Police Special Patrol Unit ( he, יחידת סיור מיוחדת ''Yeḥidat Siyur Meyuḥedet''), a riot police unit dedicated to continuous security, riot and crowd control, and other special operations. ...
– 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 unit. * YAGAL – counter-smuggling unit.


Prison Service

* Metzada unit – quick response and intervention force and specializes in suppression of prisoner uprisings. * Nahshon – intervention and conveyance unit; deals with searches, silencing disturbances, guarding IPS staff, etc. * Dror – counter-narcotics unit


See also

* Mista'arvim – 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 Mossad ( , ), ; ar, الموساد, al-Mōsād, ; , short for ( he, המוסד למודיעין ולתפקידים מיוחדים, links=no), meaning 'Institute for Intelligence and Special Operations'. is the national intelligence agency ...
– Israel's covert intelligence and special operations agency abroad. ** Kidon – a department within Mossad that is allegedly responsible for selective high-profile
assassination Assassination is the murder of a prominent or important person, such as a head of state, head of government, politician, world leader, member of a royal family or CEO. The murder of a celebrity, activist, or artist, though they may not have ...
. * Aman – Israel's military intelligence agency. * Shin Bet – 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 Website

isayeret.com – Israeli Special Forces Database
{{Israel Defense Forces Israel Defense Forces