Flickr - Israel Defense Forces - Down the Slopes

The Alpinist Unit he, יחידת האלפיניסטים, ''Yehidat Ha'Alpinistim'') is a special mountain infantry reserve unit of the

Israel Defence Forces The Israel Defense Forces (IDF; he, צְבָא הַהֲגָנָה לְיִשְׂרָאֵל , ), alternatively referred to by the Hebrew-language acronym (), is the national military of the State of Israel. It consists of three service branch ...

, under the command of the

Israeli Northern Command The Northern Command ( he, פִּקּוּד צָפוֹן, ''Pikud Tzafon'', often abbreviated to Patzan) is the Israel Defense Forces regional command responsible for the northern border with Syria and Lebanon. History During the wars in the 1960 ...

, focusing on clandestine operations, cold-weather and mountain warfare, commando style raids, crowd control and security check that migrate across the border, gather military intelligence in the area, internal security, irregular warfare operation, medical evacuation for battlefield injuries or emergencies, reconnaissance and tracking targets on the snowy mountains, ski warfare, and difficult terrain warfare in the northern front, especially Mt. Hermon. The Alpinists are proficient in many aspects of cold-weather and mountain warfare, among them shooting and attacking while sliding on skis and custom-made

Snowcat A snowcat (short for snow and caterpillar) is an enclosed-cab, truck-sized, fully tracked vehicle designed to move on snow. Major manufacturers are Pisten Bully (Germany), Prinoth (Italy) and Tucker (United States). Snow groomers A snow ...

s, and defensive tactics. The unit was established in 1983.Encyclopaedia Judaica year book, 1983/5. p.305 Their standard equipment includes

M4 carbine The M4 carbine (officially Carbine, Caliber 5.56 mm, M4) is a 5.56×45mm NATO, gas-operated, magazine-fed carbine developed in the United States during the 1980s. It is a shortened version of the M16A2 assault rifle. The M4 is extensively ...

assault rifles, the new

Israel Israel (; he, יִשְׂרָאֵל, ; ar, إِسْرَائِيل, ), officially the State of Israel ( he, מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, label=none, translit=Medīnat Yīsrāʾēl; ), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated ...

TAR-21 The IWI Tavor TAR-21 is an Israeli bullpup assault rifle chambered in 5.56×45mm NATO caliber with a selective fire system, selecting between semi-automatic mode and full automatic fire mode. The Tavor is designed and produced by Israel Weap ...

Tavor assault rifle, "

Negev The Negev or Negeb (; he, הַנֶּגֶב, hanNegév; ar, ٱلنَّقَب, an-Naqab) is a desert and semidesert region of southern Israel. The region's largest city and administrative capital is Beersheba (pop. ), in the north. At its southe ...

" light machine gun and

sniper rifle A sniper rifle is a high-precision, long-range rifle. Requirements include accuracy, reliability, mobility, concealment and optics for anti-personnel, anti-materiel and surveillance uses of the military sniper. The modern sniper rifle is a por ...

s, mostly

M24 M24, M.24 or M-24 may refer to: Military * HMS ''M24'', a Royal Navy M15 class monitor * HMS ''M24'', Royal Swedish Navy ship, (see List of mine warfare vessels of the Royal Swedish Navy) * M24 Chaffee, an American light tank * M24 mine, an Ameri ...

and

SR-25 The SR-25 (Stoner Rifle-25) is a designated marksman rifle and semi-automatic sniper rifle designed by Eugene Stoner and manufactured by Knight's Armament Company. The SR-25 uses a rotating bolt and a direct impingement gas system. It is loose ...

External links

The Alpinists, Exhibition in the IDF&defense establishment archives

References

Military units and formations of Israel Northern Command (Israel) Mountain units and formations Special forces of Israel {{Israel-mil-stub