For the first time, a female combat soldier completed training in the Israeli military’s elite Sayeret Matkal commando unit, the Israel Defense Forces announced on Thursday.

The pilot program for women to serve in Sayeret Matkal began in December 2024 as part of the IDF’s efforts to open more roles for female fighters.

One servicewoman passed preliminary screenings and “met the required criteria,” completing on Thursday a “training track specifically designed for her, which lasted more than a year and a half,” the IDF said in a statement.

The soldier would soon be integrated into the unit’s operational activities, in accordance with “operational needs” and subject to the IDF’s protocols on men and women serving together, the military said.

The IDF said it “congratulates the soldier on her significant and groundbreaking achievement.”

The army has insisted that it is allowing more women to serve in combat positions out of practical considerations, not due to a progressive social agenda.

“At this time, maximizing the service potential of male and female soldiers from all sectors and populations is an imperative, and the IDF will continue to work toward this goal,” the military added.

Sayeret Matkal, known in English as the General Staff Reconnaissance Unit, is one of the IDF’s elite commando units. It operates under the Military Intelligence Directorate’s........

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