- Southern Command (Israel)
The
Israel i Southern Command ( _he. פיקוד דרום, transliterated: "Pikud Darom"), often abbreviated to Padam (פד"מ) is a regional command of theIsrael Defense Forces . It is responsible for theNegev , theArabah , andEilat . It is currently headed byAluf Yoav Galant .History
For many years the Southern Command was tasked with defending the
Negev and securing the border on theSinai Peninsula fromEgypt . The Southern Command led IDF troops in five wars against Egypt: the1948 Arab-Israeli War , theSuez War , theSix-Day War , theWar of Attrition , and theYom Kippur War . This high operational activity and its demanding toll resulted in the Southern Command'sAluf s (SCA) being replaced fairly rapidly. The most famous replacements took place in1973 , during the Yom Kippur War, whenShmuel Gonen was suspended as the SCA due to repeated disputes withAriel Sharon , who was the previous SCA. The government appointedChaim Bar-Lev , who was the former Chief of Staff, as the new SCA in an emergency directive. After theIsrael-Egypt Peace Treaty , the southern front remained quiet and most of the activity centred on guarding the borders from smugglers and fluid security over theGaza Strip .During the
Al-Aqsa Intifada , the Command was placed in charge-of counter-terrorist efforts. The Gaza Strip, one of the most densely populated places in the world, was known as a stronghold for extremist groups such asHamas and Islamic Jihad, who engaged inPalestinian political violence . The local production and proliferation of lightanti-tank weapons by these groups, made travel by lightly-armored vehicles dangerous. From2004 , the fighting in Gaza became especially intensive, and on the IDF's part, includedTargeted killing s, short armored expeditions, and efforts to locate and destroy the smuggling tunnels used by Palestinian militant groups to obtain weapons.These armed encounters have resulted in considerable losses for the IDF. Due to the failures to stop the launch of
Qassam rocket s and smuggling tunnels activities, the Engineering Corps exposed and destroyed (according tohuman rights organizations) thousands of homes in southern Gaza. During2005 , the Southern Command was involved in the unilateral Gaza disengagement plan, initiated by Ariel Sharon (Prime Minister of Israel ,2001 -2006 ), which mainly entailed the removals of allIsraeli settlement s from the Gaza Strip and back to the Israeli side of the Green Line. The Command re-situated itself north of the Gaza fence, while thePhiladelphi Route was given to Egypt, who did not however prevent the movement of thousands ofPalestinian s between the Gaza Strip and the Sinai through the city ofRafah . As 2006, the attempt to infiltrate Israel to perform suicide bombings and the launch of Qassam rockets, especially by Islamic Jihad and thePopular Resistance Committees , remains ongoing and is the central focus of the Southern Command.Units
* Southern Corps HQ
* 366th "Amud ha-Esh"/"Pillar of Fire" Armor Division (Reserve)
** 460th "Bnei Or"/"Sons of Light" Armor Training Brigade
** 84th "Giv'ati" Infantry Brigade
*Gaza Division (Territorial)
** Gefen Territorial Brigade (south)
** Katif Territorial Brigade (north)
* 80th "Edom" Division (Territorial)
** Arava Territorial Brigade (east)
** Sagi Territorial Brigade (west)
* Two Reserve Armor Divisions, including 252nd 'Sinai' Armd Div
* 5005th "South West" & 5006th "South" Logistic Support Unit (Reserve)
* Southern Command Signal Battalion
* "Nesher"/"Eagle" Field Intelligence Battalion
* Engineer & Construction Battalion
* 585thBedouin Desert Recon Battalion
* "Rotem" Eilat Area (Res)Counter Terrorism Unit
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