How Tough Are Israel’s Special Forces?

By Maya Carlin, Warrior Contributor, Weapons

No country has quite mastered covert operations like the Israelis.

The Jewish state’s Special Forces are comprised of highly specialized units that function domestically, regionally and abroad.

The breadth of units in Israel’s Special Forces ranges from intelligence gathering, counter-terrorism operations, rescue missions, and more.

Generally, the Special Forces are responsible for maintaining Israel’s security by mapping out how to prevent adversaries and nearby terrorist organizations from gaining more traction. While Israel’s Defense Forces primarily function to carry out combat operations in wartime or during exchanges of fire, the Special Forces never stop working even in peaceful interludes.

Israel’s Special Forces – What We Know

The history of Israel’s Special Forces dates back before the country’s 1948 founding. At the end of World War I, the allied powers placed Israel under the British Mandate. Throughout the 1920’s, clashes between Jewish and Arab citizens in Palestine led to violence, which British forces were unwilling to contend with. During a particularly bloody riot in 1921 in the Old City, British troops were accused of withdrawing from the scene and failing to cease the violence.

At this point, Jewish citizens recognized that the British would not protect them, spurring the inception of underground resistance movements. The most effective militia that functioned following the riots was the Haganah. By 1941, the organization formed Israel’s first underground Special Forces Units, called Smash Companies. Carrying out covert operations to acquire and transfer weapons, the Smash Companies helped protect the Jewish citizens until the Israeli state was officially formed.

Israel’s first Prime Minister Ben-Gurion transformed the Haganah into the IDF in 1948. Without a need for underground, covert defense forces, the Smash Companies disbanded shortly after. However, in 1953, Ben-Gurion established Israel’s first Special Forces Unit- Commando Unit 101. The following year, the unit was merged into Israel’s 890^th Paratroop Battalion. The Unit 101 has significantly impacted Israel’s infantry-oriented forces over the years, its legacy still active in the IDF today. Shortly after its establishment, however, Unit 101 was disbanded following a series of operational failures. Sayeret Matkal, the General Staff Reconnaissance Unit, emerged as the Jewish state’s next Special Forces Unit. Modeled in part after the British Special Air Service, this elite unit conducted dangerous operations in enemy territory. The Unit led successful missions in the 1960’s and early 1970’s. Following the 1967 Six-Day War, Sayeret Matkal adapted to perform counter-terror capabilities in light of the rise of Arab terrorism in the region.