The Units That Stand Between Israel and Its Enemies

There are military units that become famous because of a single battle, there are units remembered because of one extraordinary commander, and then there are units whose names become part of the identity of a country because generation after generation they have been sent to places where failure was simply not an acceptable option.

Israel has several of them.

Golani. Sayeret Matkal. Shaldag. Unit 669. Duvdevan. And once, operating in an entirely different world of undercover warfare, there was Samson.

Their missions have been different, their methods have been different, and much of what some of these units have actually done will probably remain classified for decades, but they share something fundamental. They were created because Israel learned very early that a small country surrounded by serious security threats cannot always depend on numbers. It has to depend on intelligence, speed, initiative, training and people prepared to make extraordinarily difficult decisions under pressure.

Samson, the soldiers who disappeared into the environment

One of the most fascinating examples was Unit 367, better known as Samson or Shimshon.

Samson was an undercover special operations unit that operated in the Gaza Strip between 1986 and 1996. Its soldiers belonged to the world of the mista’arvim, Israeli personnel trained for undercover operations within Arab environments, and its responsibilities included intelligence gathering and counterterrorism operations against militants. Veterans of the unit describe a legacy built around creativity, persistence and the fight against terrorism.

Think about what that required.

A conventional infantry soldier can enter battle visibly carrying the identity of his army. An undercover operator may have to suppress almost every outward sign of who he really is. Language, behavior, appearance, knowledge of local customs and the ability to remain composed when one mistake could expose an entire operation all become part of the weapon.

Samson was eventually disbanded following the political agreements concerning Gaza, but the concept did not disappear with it. Duvdevan, established in 1986, developed its own specialization in counterterrorism operations in Judea and Samaria, including both overt and undercover operations. During the terrorism wave that began in 2015, Duvdevan participated in the arrests of suspects accused of several deadly attacks, and in 2016 the unit received a Chief of Staff citation for its operations during that period.

This is an aspect of Israel’s defense that outsiders often fail to understand. Preventing an attack can require enormous effort while producing almost no dramatic photograph afterward. When intelligence and special forces succeed,........

© The Times of Israel (Blogs)