Sayeret Matkal
| Sayeret Matkal | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Active | 1957–present |
| Country |
 Israel
|
| Branch | Military Intelligence Directorate |
| Type | Special operations force |
| Role |
Special reconnaissance Direct action (military), Raid (military) Hostage rescue Counter-terrorism and more. |
| Size | Classified. |
| Nickname(s) | The Unit |
| Motto(s) | "Who Dares Wins" |
| Engagements |
War of Attrition Yom Kippur War 1982 Lebanon War First Intifada Second Intifada 2006 Lebanon War |
| Commanders | |
| Notable commanders |
Ehud Barak Yonatan Netanyahu Nehemiah Tamari Uzi Dayan Moshe Yaalon |
Sayeret Matkal (Hebrew: סיירת מטכ"ל, General Staff Reconnaissance Unit) is a special forces unit of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF). First and foremost a field intelligence-gathering unit, conducting deep reconnaissance behind enemy lines to obtain strategic intelligence, Sayeret Matkal is also tasked with counter-terrorism and hostage rescue beyond Israel's borders. The unit is modeled after the British Army's Special Air Service, taking the unit's motto "Who Dares, Wins". The unit is the Israeli equivalent of Delta Force of the United States and to the UK's Special Air Service. It is directly subordinate to the IDF's Directorate of Military Intelligence.
In 1954 Israel's first special operations unit—Unit 101—was disbanded following the outcry provoked by the Qibya massacre. This left the IDF without a dedicated special-forces unit other than the Navy's Shayetet 13, a naval commando unit which could not fully replace Unit 101. In 1957 Avraham Arnan (né Herling), a former yeshiva student and Palmach fighter, petitioned the IDF General Staff to create a unit that could be dispatched to enemy-held territory to carry out top secret intelligence-gathering missions. Arnan's idea (backed by David Ben-Gurion and Yitzhak Rabin) was to create a unit that would recruit only the best and the brightest of Israeli youth. Prospective fighters were to be hand-picked, being physically and intellectually the best soldiers available. Originally part of Aman's Unit 157, Sayeret Matkal began to operate independently a year later as the General Staff's special operations force, modeled after the British Special Air Service. Members of the unit were trained by Bedouin trackers in order to obtain a better understanding of their adversaries. Established a year after the formation of Israel's first helicopter squadron, the close co-operation between the two units allowed Sayeret Matkal to deploy longer and deeper inside Arab territory than its predecessor. Arnan's vision for Sayeret Matkal (of which he was the first commander) was of a unit that would carry out strategic intelligence-gathering and other operations; as such it would receive its missions only from the General Staff. Sayeret Matkal would also evaluate new weapons and doctrines that could influence the entire IDF.
...
Wikipedia