Sayeret Egoz

The Egoz Reconnaissance Unit (Hebrew: יחידת אגוז, Yechidat Egoz) is an Israel Defense Forces commando unit that specializes in guerrilla and anti-guerrilla warfare. The Egoz Battalion is part of the Northern Command's Golani Brigade.Egoz is a Hebrew word meaning 'nut' (meaning 'seed', not 'crazy'), although in the case of the unit, it is also an abbreviation for Anti Guerilla and Micro-Warfare (Anti Gerila VeLohama Zeira). Prior to 2000, Egoz operated mainly in Israel's Northern Command, combating threats from the Hezbollah. Following Israel's withdrawal from Southern Lebanon, its operations were moved to the West Bank and Gaza Strip. In 2003 and 2004, Egoz prevented more terrorist acts than any other IDF unit. [citation needed] The unit still does some reconnaissance in southern Lebanon.

The Egoz unit was founded in 1956 as a special forces unit (sayeret). The person credited with the organization of Egoz was Itzhak Rabin (who served as Commanding General-Northern Command and later as IDF Chief of Staff and twice Prime Minister.) Egoz was disbanded due to a friendly fire incident and re-organized in 1964.

After the Six-Day War, Egoz became a regiment, code named Unit 483, and was designated as the special forces unit of the Northern Command. Egoz HQ was located in Nazareth (near the Northern Command HQ). Egoz HQ housed the command and logistics function of the unit and the Kurs Siyur (Reconnaissance Training) Company, known as D Company (Pluga Daled) whose role was to train new combat personnel following boot camp training (which the Egoz recruits did at the Golani Brigade training base). A B and C Companies were operational units and were rotated between the Lebanese border (based in Biranit), the Syrian border (based in Kuneita with a small base in Elal in the southern Golan Heights, near Rafid Junction.) When active in the Jordanian border area, Egoz maintained a operational base near Beit She'an. The activities of Egoz in the period between 1968 and 1973 included responsibility for night patrols along the borders under the responsibility of Northern Command, being deployed as a rapid response unit against day time border infiltration and mounting night time border raids for intelligence gathering and pre-emption of terrorist activities.

Egoz mounted many successful cross border operations and under Uri Simchoni (who later became General Simchoni-Head of Training Command), enjoyed high confidence of Northern Command who selected Egoz for missions often in preference to more established special forces units. Egoz's most notable operations were a night time raid on El Hiam in 1971, participating in the Fatahland cleanup operation in 1970 and Egoz's collaboration with Sayeret Matkal in a highly publicized kidnapping of most of the Syrian High Command, which was led by Ehud Barak, who later as Lt General Barak served as the IDF Chief of Staff and later became Prime Minister and Minister of Defense. The Unit produced some of Israel's better commando leaders including Yosi Dirahli (killed in Kuneitra in 1973, aged 22), Muki Bezer and David Agmon (who later as Brigadier General Agmon was Chief Paratrooper and Infantry Officer of the IDF.)The Egoz Kuneitra based force suffered major casualties (according to some reports, was wiped out) in the opening days of the 1973 War. Many believe this event was one of the reasons Egoz was disbanded after the 1973 War. Other Commands' special forces units (Haruv in Central Command and Shaked in Southern Command) were also disbanded after the 1973 War. It may well be true, as has been argued, that Egoz was disbanded following the Yom Kippur War due to manpower shortages in other units.

The history of Egoz and other Commands’ special forces units is documented in an official Ministry of Defense sponsored book [reference to be supplied] , and its heritage is preserved in Israeli public psyche. The preservation of this heritage is aided by Hasayeret Hazfonit, a civilian organization of Egoz alumni, the maintenance of a memorial site on Mount Hermon and regular annual alumni meeting meetings.

Egoz was re-formed in 1995 as an anti-guerrilla unit (company). Most of the initial fighters came from the Shimshon Unit. Its commander was from the Navy Commandos and so much of the discipline, tactics and professionalism come from the Navy Commandos, not from Golani.

The training of an Egoz units begins with basic training, advanced exercises, and unit marches, after which each soldier is interviewed with Israeli intelligence to determine if he should be screened out from the second phase of training. The second phase consists of learning camouflage warfare, various kinds of assaults, land navigation in pairs, and completing the squad leaders course, jeep driving course, parachute course, concealment course and the alpine course – if there is snow in the Hermon area.When operating in Lebanon, the unit uses unmarked bullets, as well as the Russian-made RPD and PK light machine guns. Soldiers using the M16 standard issue weapon have the Litton Akila night vision system mounted on it.

2006 Israel-Lebanon conflict

In the 2006 Israel-Lebanon conflict, five members of the Egoz Unit were killed and six wounded in Maroun al-Ras. According to the IDF, 20 members of the Hizbullah were killed. [http://www.ynet.co.il/articles/0,7340,L-3279298,00.html]