Kidon ( he, כידון, "bayonet", "javelin" or a "spear") is the elite unit within

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 ...

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 ...

that is allegedly responsible for the planning and execution of clandestine assassination campaigns against enemies of the Israeli state.

Unconfirmed claims

Kidon is described by journalist Yaakov Katz as "an elite group of expert assassins who operate under the Caesarea branch of the espionage organization. Not much is known about this mysterious unit, details of which are some of the most closely guarded secrets in the Israeli intelligence community." The unit only recruits among former soldiers from the elite IDF special forces units. According to Israeli author

Aaron Klein Aaron Klein ( he, אהרון קליין; born 1979) is an American-Israeli conservative political commentator, journalist, strategist, bestselling author, and senior advisor to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. He served as campaign manager f ...

, Kidon was known as Caesarea until a reorganization in the mid-1970s. Today it is considered a unit within the Caesarea department of the

. It has been claimed the unit was involved in the

Operation Wrath of God Operation "Wrath of God" ( he, מבצע זעם האל ''Mivtza Za'am Ha'el''), also known as Operation "Bayonet", was a covert operation directed by Mossad to assassinate individuals involved in the 1972 Munich massacre in which 11 members of ...

campaign. It also has been claimed Kidon was responsible for the assassination of Muhammad Suleiman. Given the secret nature of the unit, there is almost no reliable information available. In addition to counter-terrorist operations, the Kidon unit can also operate in other capacities in order to assist the needs of the Mossad.

In popular culture

All of Daniel Silva's " Gabriel Allon" novels reference this group. Kidon is referenced numerous times in the 2001 novel '' Separation of Power'' by

Vince Flynn Vincent Joseph Flynn (April 6, 1966 – June 19, 2013) was an American author of political thriller novels featuring the fictional assassin Mitch Rapp. He was a story consultant for the fifth season of the television series '' 24''. He died of pro ...

as assassins working for the Israeli Mossad. Kidon is referenced several times in the show '' NCIS''. Kidon is referred to in the ''NCIS'' season 6 episode "Legend (Part 2)" when they suspect a Mossad agent visiting the US is part of the Kidon group. In the last episode of the same season, "Aliyah", Ziva David's boyfriend Michael Rivkin is stated to have been a Kidon member. Ziva is shown to be a part of Kidon as well. The director of Mossad, Eli David, Ziva's father, has referred to his daughter as the "sharp end of the spear". Kidon is also referred to in the ''

Covert Affairs ''Covert Affairs'' is an American action drama television series filmed in Toronto, Canada, starring Piper Perabo and Christopher Gorham that premiered on Tuesday, July 13, 2010. On January 6, 2015, USA Network canceled ''Covert Affairs'' afte ...

'' season 1 episode "No Quarter". The protagonist Annie Walker is forced to cooperate with ex-Kidon-turned-Mossad-agent Eyal Lavin when an intelligence exchange in Switzerland is compromised. In the 2012

Chris Ryan Colin Armstrong (born 1961), usually known by the pseudonym and pen-name of Chris Ryan, is an author, television presenter, security consultant and former Special Air Service sergeant. After the publication of fellow patrol member Andy McNa ...

novel ''Killing for the Company'' SAS operatives Chet Freeman and Luke Mercer come head-to-head with a Kidon operative gone rogue. In season 2 of the Israeli TV drama ''

Hatufim ''Prisoners of War'' (original title in ) is an Israeli television drama series made by Keshet and originally aired on Israel's Channel 2 from March to May 2010. A second season aired in Israel from October to December 2012. The series was c ...

'', a Kidon operative figures heavily in a plot to assassinate a terrorist leader in Syria. On October 10, 2013, the comedic film '' Kidon'' was released starring Tomer Sisley, Kev Adams, and

Bar Refaeli Bar Refaeli ( he, בר רפאלי; born ) is an Israeli model, television host, businesswoman and actress. She is among the most internationally successful models to come from Israel, appearing on the cover of the 2009 ''Sports Illustrated'' Sw ...

, and written and directed by Emmanuel Naccache. The movie features the

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 ...

of Mahmoud al-Mabhouh as told from the perspective of the Mossad.

John Grisham John Ray Grisham Jr. (; born February 8, 1955 in Jonesboro, Arkansas) is an American novelist, lawyer and former member of the 7th district of the Mississippi House of Representatives, known for his popular legal thrillers. According to the Ame ...

features the Kidon in his novel '' The Broker'' as a specialized team of Mossad assassins out to kill the novel's protagonist "Marco". Kidon is referenced numerous times in the 2013 novel ''The Enemy'', by Tom Wood. Episode 1, "The Empty Chair" of the

BBC2 BBC Two is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network owned and operated by the BBC. It covers a wide range of subject matter, with a remit "to broadcast programmes of depth and substance" in contrast to the more mainstream a ...

/ SundanceTV 2014 political thriller, '' The Honourable Woman'' mentions the Kidon when the character Sir Hugh Haden-Hoyle, fictional head of MI6's Middle East desk, is asking who may have assassinated a prominent Palestinian businessman. Kidon is referenced in Book 6 ''Our Sacred Honor''Mars, Jack
''Our Sacred Honor (A Luke Stone Thriller – Book 6)''
Jack Mars, 2017. . of the ''Luke Stone'' series by author Jack Mars.

Notes

References

* Frattini, Eric. ''Mossad, los verdugos del Kidon''. Madrid: Atanor Ediciones, 2011. . * Ostrovsky, Victor. '' By Way of Deception: The Making and Unmaking of a Mossad Officer''. New York: St. Martin's Press, 1990. . * Thomas, Gordon. ''Robert Maxwell, Israel's Superspy: The Life and Murder of a Media Mogul''. New York: Carroll & Graf Publishers, 2002. . {{Israeli Intelligence Community Mossad Non-military counterterrorist organizations

Unconfirmed claims

In popular culture

See also

Notes

References