Israel

Israel’s Sayeret Matkal

The Sayeret Matkal (General Staff Reconnaissance Unit) is the principal SOF unit for Israel. Sayeret Matkal is also tasked with counter terrorism and hostage rescue beyond Israel’s borders. The unit is modeled after the British SAS. In the IDF it is known as “the Unit.”

The Israeli Army’s Sayeret Matkal (General Staff Commando Unit) began life in 1957 as part of Aman (Military Intelligence Unit 154), designed to operate deep behind enemy lines. Masters of disguise, they originally consisted of Jews who spoke Arabic as a native language along with paratroopers, intelligence personnel and other experienced hands from the military. They adopted the British Special Air service motto of “Who Dares Wins,” and often operated in Arab lands gathering vital intelligence for the nation.

In the 1960′s Sayeret Matkal was transformed from a reconnaissance unit to a commando force. They began setting standards of excellence for the world’s elite units and influenced combat tactics in the Israeli Defense Forces, along with a central role in some of the world’s most famous Special Forces missions.

Chief among these was Operation Thunderbolt (later renamed Operation Jonatan) where they stormed the airport terminal in Entebbe, Uganda on July 4, 1976 to rescue 106 Jewish and French hostages of an Air France flight hijacked by Palestinian and German terrorists.

Another notable operation occurred in 1988, when the Unit dispatched P.L.O terrorist mastermind Abu Jihad after uncovering a plot to kidnap soldiers in the Israeli Defense Ministry. In the dead of night, the strike team eliminated Jihad’s guards and entered his bedroom, shooting him dozens of times as he roused from sleep before making their getaway.

It was near this time the unit was first acknowledged to the world by Israel.

More recently, they are believed to have been involved in reconnaissance in Syria as an asset to Operation Orchard, the bombing of Syria’s nuclear facilities.

Candidates wanting to join the unit are selected on “Yom Hasayarot” or commando day. Then they begin the Gibbush or “crystallization” day. Here begins evaluations for the next six days as they undergo grueling physical and mental challenges. Those who pass are invited to continue training. This will incur an additional twenty months consisting of the following:

Four months of Paratrooper training.
Two months of advanced infantry training.
Three week parachutists course.
Five week Counter Terrorism course.

Woven among all of these are daily exercises of physical and mental conditioning, marksmanship, weapons knowledge, navigation, martial arts, and commando tactics and skills.

In the final months of the course, candidates must undergo tests in long range navigation, in pairs and alone, before graduation.

The final four days are the infamous 120 kilometer “Beret March” across harsh terrain. This brings all who complete the final exercise to the mountain fortress of Masada. to be greeted by cheering veterans of the unit, as well as receiving a visit by helicopter from the Chief of Staff. Now wearing maroon berets they become part of Israel’s most elite unit, although due to its secrecy, no member is allowed to wear its emblem of a sword and wings in public.

Size of Sayeret Matkal remains classified, but is believed to number about 200.

IDF West Bank Units Using New Intelligence Methods To Combat Terror Attacks

After several attacks on Israeli soldiers and civilians in the West Bank where the attackers were able to get away in the crowds, the IDF is revamping the way they do business to alert their troops to any suspicious activity by Palestinians in the West Bank.

There have been 16 Israeli soldiers or citizens killed in shooting or stabbing attacks in the West Bank during the past year but the IDF has also been able to stop other attacks before they occur.

This new system relies on both increased visual surveillance as well as analytics which will be connected in an operations control room. The information will then warn soldiers on the ground before a terror attack begins. The system is already being tested in the West Bank by the Samaria Regional Brigade.

The IDF is placing more surveillance cameras and other sensors around the West Bank, around areas of increased traffic like road junctions. The operations room personnel will use advanced computer algorithms to review the camera’s footage to identify any imminent threats. Soldiers will be alerted to risks through smartwatches and other wearable devices according to the IDF.

The Israelis are calling this development the “Digital Regional Brigade” and was a combined effort of the military’s intelligence, technology and ground forces units. In a released statement, the IDF said, “the system knows to identify… and prevent violent terrorist activities. In this way, it provides soldiers with a quick warning of an impending threat.”

In another development, the Israelis are putting together “mixed combat teams” during terrorist attacks in scenarios where the attackers flee and attempt to blend into the crowds, “which will help oversee large swaths of land during a manhunt.” These composite teams will consist of infantry, field intelligence, special forces, and other security services during terrorist incidents.

The Israelis are also beefing up their individual training before troops move into the West Bank. The training is designed to ensure that every combat soldier is able to make correct decisions under pressure and in a short period of time, such as overpowering an attacker at maximum speed. The infantry troops are getting advanced training in five areas that the IDF has identified as needing work:

improving shooting skills and hand-to-hand combat skills
“mentally” preparing troops for the types of threats they face in the West Bank,
Create a unified set of techniques that is most suited for operating in the region
improving training facilities
establishing division-wide standards and measurements to accurately assess effectiveness and success.

During the training, the soldiers will utilize virtual reality headsets to better simulate actual combat and terrorist situations that they’ll encounter including stabbing and shooting attacks, as well as Krav Maga and shooting courses. This is designed to speed up the response time for Israeli Defense Forces when they face an incident which will also not allow terrorists to get away.

The Israelis, in an attempt to diffuse other situations before they occur, have arrested 1000 Palestinians and confiscated 270 weapons this year. Security forces, including the IDF, police and Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency), carry out nightly raids in the West Bank to arrest Palestinians suspected of violence against Israelis.

The Palestine Liberation Organization’s Department of Public Diplomacy and Policy stated that the numbers are even higher with 1,600 Palestinians, including 230 children and 40 women, have been arrested since the start of 2019.

By using intelligence gathering, the IDF has been monitoring social media activity, and have arrested individuals who openly state their desire to carry out attacks and monitor social media networks especially like Facebook.

They’ve targeted underground weapons and bombmaking workshops, greatly reducing the number of weapons and illegal explosive devices that could end up in terrorist hands.

In related news, Israel keeps getting sporadic rocket fire aimed at it from Syria. Thus far, no one knows for sure if it is Syrian troops or Iranian proxies. But with each attack, the Israeli Defense Forces have been hitting back and hard with airstrikes. In a statement released by defense officials, the IDF stated the following:

“Last night, two rockets were launched from Syria to Israel, one landing within Israeli territory,” the IDF said. “In response, we struck a number of Syrian Armed Forces military targets. We hold the Syrian regime accountable and will firmly operate against any attempt to harm Israeli civilians.”

The Israeli counterstrike hit the area of the launches outside of Damascus and targeted a training facility for Iranian and Hezbollah forces, and an arms depot in the area of al-Kiswah.

Ceasefire Reached After Rockets, Airstrikes Produce Bloody Weekend in Gaza

Op-Ed: Hamas wanted to send a message to Israel and in two days, they launched nearly 700 rockets into Israeli territory. Israel responded with heavy airstrikes and moved armor up to the border area in the latest outbreak of violence. When the smoke cleared, 24 Palestinians were dead with hundreds wounded and 4 Israelis were killed, with another 234 wounded.

The Egyptians brokered another ceasefire which began at 0130 hours local on Monday. They are trying to hammer out a long-term deal but the chances of that happening or ever coming to fruition are slim.

Hamas is trying to force the Israelis to ease blockade restrictions into Gaza and that it wanted to disrupt the upcoming music competition “Eurovision” which was slated to begin on Monday. Both Hamas and Islamic Jihad vowed to “prevent the festival” in statements released by each.

“We will prevent the enemy from succeeding in establishing any festival aimed at harming the Palestinian narrative,” Palestinian Islamic Jihad released in a statement. Then Hamas began the weekend by launching 150 rockets into Israel.

The Israelis then began a series of airstrikes in Gaza City at the site of the rocket launches as well as targeting Hamas military targets. And as is the norm for Hamas, they launched their rockets from the middle of crowded neighborhoods, knowing full well that the Israelis would immediately launch counter-strikes before the first rockets hit the ground. Many of the Hamas commanders and their fighters’ homes were targeted as well.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ‘s office told David Friedman, the U.S. ambassador to Israel, and ambassadors from Europe that Hamas was “committing a double war crime by indiscriminately shooting at civilians from civilian centers.”

The resultant civilian casualties are always what Hamas counts on, including two pregnant women, two infants and a child — were killed, along with two unborn children. However, the Israelis were quick to point out one Palestinian woman and child were not hit by Israeli strikes but from a malfunctioning Hamas rocket. Lt. Col. Jonathan Conricus, a spokesman for the IDF, said in a statement that, “It was from internal fire,” he said.

The IDF said it struck rocket launchers, tunnel shafts, “terror squads and operatives,” and weapons-making factories belonging to Hamas, who controls Gaza, and the Iranian-funded group Palestinian Islamic Jihad.

Of the 690 rockets fired from Gaza at Israel, the IDF announced that their “Iron Dome” missile defense system, successfully shot down 240 of the rockets. In response, Israel targeted over 350 Hamas and Islamic Jihad targets in Gaza. The Israelis killed a senior Hamas commander allegedly involved in transferring Iranian funds to the group was killed during an airstrike.

On Monday, Netanyahu said that “the campaign is not over and requires patience and judgment. We are preparing to continue. The goal was and remains to ensure the peace and security of the residents of the south.”

This latest spate of violence began on Friday when Islamic Jihad fired across the border and hit two Israeli soldiers. The airstrikes in retaliation killed two Hamas militants. Then on Saturday, Hamas began launching missiles at Israel which further escalated events. The two sides had attacked each other in March before the Egyptians stepped in again to broker yet another ceasefire.

Among the dead on the Israeli side was a 68-year old man whose minivan was hit with a Russian made Kornet wire-guided, anti-tank missile. Hamas took credit for that and proclaimed “victory” in that Israel has promised to expand the fishing limits for Gaza fishermen, Israel will stop shooting at Palestinians during the weekly protests near the border, also known as the Great March of Return; easing the blockade on the Gaza Strip; allowing international relief organizations to assist families whose houses were destroyed in the last round of fighting; an end to Israeli targeted assassinations.

With the influx of tourists this week for Eurovision. Netanyahu was forced between a rock and a hard place. But for Israeli citizens who live close to the Gaza border and who provided the Prime Minister the edge in the latest election, they’re wanting a much harder line between the government and Hamas.

But this isn’t the end of this latest back and forth affair. Israel this week celebrates their Memorial Day followed by Independence Day. For the Palestinians in Gaza, this week begins the Holy month of Ramadan. Tensions always get high during this time frame.

Of course, as soon as the violence erupted, American Congresswoman and noted anti-semite Ilhan Omar jumped into the fray with this latest bit on social media.

@IlhanMN – How many more protesters must be shot, rockets must be fired, and little kids must be killed until the endless cycle of violence ends?

The status quo of occupation and humanitarian crisis in Gaza is unsustainable. Only real justice can bring about security and lasting peace.

She must have forgotten or doesn’t know (nor care) that Israel doesn’t occupy Gaza. The Israelis withdrew years ago leaving behind warehouses full of food and synagogues. Which the Palestinians burned… but the truth never got in the way of a good social media rant to incite the sheeple….right?

Photos of Offices of Hamas chairman Ismail Haniyeh – Rimal: IDF

Israeli Special Forces Training Deemed Unsafe, Going Through Changes

The Israeli Defense Forces have been looking at the way their military trains their various Special Forces units and after several incidents will revamp their training.

The Israelis have several different units with very different missions but they’ve had a spate of accidents lately in their training of their candidates and they created an investigative team to look into how their training cadres were testing their candidates while looking at their current missions.

This probe was ordered last summer by the then IDF Chief of Staff, Gadi Eisenkot after several different incidents occurred during training events for soldiers trying to gain entrance into their Commando Brigade.

Eisenkot created a committee to interview former and current commanders of the various commando units, visited the individual units and interviewed the soldiers and officers. They looked at how the IDF Commando Brigade operates as well as other different Special Operations military units around the world and balanced that against the instructional material the Commando Brigade utilizes.

The committee, which was named the IDF Committee to Examine Normative Conduct in Special and Elite Units, was led by Maj.-Gen Itai Virov, and then presented their findings to the new Chief of Staff LTG Aviv Kochavi.

In a statement released by the IDF, the committee said, “The commission found gaps in the norms of these units, which could be seen in some of their exercises and training, and which originated in the way in which team leaders were trained in these units.”

Kochavi, who began his term as the new Chief of Staff in late January, after reviewing the findings of this investigation, called for several changes in the way that the IDF Special Forces are trained. These changes will go into effect this summer once the Commando Schools begin their training of new candidates.

These changes begin with “a large emphasis on safety principles,” the military released in a statement, adding that there is a “need to change the specialized training process for Special Forces team leaders by adding an additional training course for officers.”

Kochavi, in a move that has also taken place with United States Special Operations units, called for safety issues to be investigated, citing that there is a need to “examine norms, routine procedures and the organizational culture” in all IDF units.

The Jerusalem Post published several of the incidents that the investigation looked at and listed several. The first was where an SSG Shachar Strug from the elite Duvdevan Unit was killed in March 2018 when a fellow training candidate, playing with his weapon had an accidental discharge and the round killed Strug.

Duvdevan (Hebrew for cherry) is a mista’arvim (counter-terrorism) unit. They are noted for their work undercover in urban areas, where they often wear Arab civilian clothes as a disguise. They are also trained in human and mechanical counter-surveillance.

Duvdevan units can operate independently in more than one place at a time. The unit performs many high-risk and complicated operations, including targeted assassinations, kidnappings, and a range of other undercover operations in Arab areas.

The Israeli television series “Fauda” was based on a mista’arvim, Duvdevan unit.

Last summer, a soldier from the Maglan Unit was permanently paralyzed after he was ordered to jump from a moving Hummer during a training exercise into a thatch of thorns without wearing a helmet and hit his head on a rock as he hit the ground.

This jumping into thorn bushes is a tradition in the Maglan Unit, in order for candidates to get over their fear of the unknown and of dangerous situations. Maglan is an Israeli sayeret (reconnaissance) unit, which specializes in operating behind enemy lines and deep inside enemy territory using advanced technologies and weaponry. A Maglan is a bird (Ibis) who according to the IDF ‘that knows how to adapt in every situation.”

Their training is considered some of the toughest in the IDF, even amongst the other SF units. Candidates undergo 18 months of training and it includes a 100km (62.5-mile) beret march to continue the next phase of their training.

The army, however, determined that the “action was improper, unprofessional, immoral, dangerous and unnecessary,” and the team commander of the injured soldier, Lieutenant Y., was dismissed from the service.

Another Maglan soldier was injured and required hospitalization during a Krav Maga exercise conducted without proper authorization and performed without protective equipment. The injured soldier was punched in the stomach during the exercise and while he complained of pain after being hit, was not taken immediately treated. Only after the soldiers’ condition worsened did the unit officer allow for him to be evacuated to the hospital.

This unit officer was also dismissed for conducting unauthorized training without the proper equipment and for withholding the medical attention of this soldier unnecessarily.

Eisenkot established the Oz Brigade (Hebrew for courage) in December 2015 under the Central Command’s 98th Division with the goal of being an accessible, independent and integrated force which operates directly under the Chief of Staff’s orders. The forming of the unit had much to do with the lessons learned during the 2014 Operation Protective Edge fighting in Gaza.

The units in the Oz Brigade consist of Maglan, Duvdevan, Ergoz (a guerrilla warfare unit) and a new formation Rimon which specializes in working in desert environments and operates desert high-mobility vehicles known as “wild cats”.

The thinking behind this move was to parallel the usage and capabilities of the United States’ 75th Ranger Regiment. However, other Israeli special operations units, Sayeret Matkal, Shayetet 13, Shaldag, Oketz and Yahalom will continue to operate independently.

Photo of SF training exercise debrief: IDF

Israelis Blast Hamas Targets in Gaza After Latest Rocket Attacks

The Israeli Defense Forces launched a series of airstrikes in Gaza after the latest round of rocket attacks launched by militants in Gaza streamed toward Israel. Tensions are rising in the area as Israel called up some of their reserve Air Force, Intelligence and Special Forces units.

Things began badly on Monday when Hamas launched rockets at Tel Aviv, several Israelis were injured when a rocket hit their house. Israel responded with air attacks on several Hamas military targets.

Then on Tuesday night, around 9 p.m. Israel’s air raid sirens sounded in the southern half of the country when Hamas militants launched a rocket supposedly at the Eshkol Regional Council. Israel quickly responded with a series of blistering air attacks.

Hamas then countered with a barrage of rockets launched toward the southern city of Ashkelon. However, Hamas and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad denied responsibility for the rocket barrage and blamed it on “rogue elements” in the Gaza strip.

Meanwhile, the UN Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process Nickolay Mladenov urged the United Nations Security Council in a rare move on Wednesday to condemn Hamas’ provocations in Gaza.

“A new conflict will be devastating for the Palestinian people, it will have consequences for Israelis, who live in the vicinity of the Gaza perimeter, and it is likely to have regional repercussions. This is why I ask you all today to join the United Nations in condemning the continued indiscriminate firing of rockets by Hamas towards Israel. Such acts of provocation only dramatically increase the risk of escalation and ultimately damage our collective efforts to support the people of Gaza and intra-Palestinian reconciliation. We must also call on all sides to exercise maximum restraint as the situation remains extremely tense.”

The IDF was having any of the talk about “rogue elements” and put the blame squarely on Hamas and held them solely responsible.

“The Hamas terror organization bears responsibility for everything in and around the Gaza Strip,” the army said in a statement. “The IDF is determined to continue protecting the Israeli citizens and is prepared for a variety of scenarios.”

The Israeli Air Force blasted sites of Gaza’s Hamas rulers and the smaller Islamic Jihad group. The targets included a multistory building in Gaza City that reportedly had served as a Hamas military intelligence headquarters and the office of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh. Hamas reported seven casualties in the strikes, all civilians.

This is a dangerous time in the region. We’re approaching the one-year anniversary of the March of Return protests, which began March 30, 2018. During these protests along the border between Gaza and Israel, 190 of the Palestinians were killed and even more wounded in the past year. Now, the terror group hopes to draw hundreds of thousands of Palestinians to the border to riot and try to breach the security fence with their most hated enemy. The goal is to ease the blockade but it has thus far been unsuccessful.

But Hamas didn’t plan on what unfolded just a week ago. Palestinians protested in the streets against Hamas, blaming the terror group for the dire plight the people are in right now. And they were cracked down on badly, Hamas men fired into the crowds, and beat up and arrested countless others.

As Hamas is encountering its worst problem in the 12 years that they’ve been in power, the blockade by Israel and Egypt, sanctions by the Palestinian Authority, and terrible governmental mismanagement by the Hamas leadership have left the region in tatters. Unemployment is running north of about 50 percent.

Also happening in Israel is the upcoming election where Benjamin Netanyahu is locked in a very tight race for re-election. With the election right around the corner on April 9, a new war in Gaza with Hamas could prove to be devastating for his reelection bid. He’s is getting criticism from both supporters and opponents for failing to contain Hamas.

But the savvy Netanyahu also knows that he can’t back down either. He raced home from the United States after the initial rocket attack and has made it clear that Israel will not stand for more.

“Hamas needs to know that we will not hesitate to go in and take all necessary steps, regardless of anything, any date, other than Israel’s security needs,” he said.

He later added, “I can tell you, we are prepared to do a lot more,” he said. “We will do what is necessary to defend our people and to defend our state.”

Palestinians weren’t taking any unnecessary risks after the air strikes, staying at home and indoors. Businesses and shops were closed, schools didn’t open. And if they needed a reminder, it was reported that despite the calm, Israeli drones stayed overhead, waiting for the next rocket launch and ready to pounce.

So with the Egyptian delegation in Gaza in long sessions with Hamas, they’ll try to hammer out something longer than just a ceasefire, but in reality, the peace will only be temporary here for quite some time.

As Israeli troops mass on the border, neither side wants another large scale protracted war, but it seems that their both being thrust into one anyway.

File Photo of Israeli tanks on the Golan Heights: IDF

Hamas Offering $1 Million Dollar Bounty For Israeli Identities in Nov. Raid

The botched special operation conducted by the Israelis in Gaza back in November was widely publicized at the time and spurred the response of Hamas, which launched nearly 500 rockets at Israel in the aftermath. It is proof, that even excellently produced plans, conducted by seasoned, tried and true professionals can go awry.

Hamas is now offering a $1 million dollar bounty to anyone who can identify the Israeli operatives who they claim were the ones involved in the operation. They posted pictures of the operatives on social media, the IDF (Israeli Defense Forces) censors blurred the images on Israeli social media and television.

During this operation which took place on November 11, several Israeli Special Operations operatives from Sayeret Matkal, the elite special operations unit had crossed into Gaza and were operating near Khan Younis, in the southern Gaza Strip.

According to Hamas, the team members entered Gaza from Israel through an opening in the fence on a foggy night in an undisclosed area covered with woods in October of 2018. They allegedly used fake Gazan IDs and had forged documents of humanitarian workers. They were on an intelligence gathering operation where they were planting eavesdropping devices to monitor Hamas communications. Things began to go awry when the Israeli unit was stopped by Hamas security forces, who believed them at the time to be a criminal gang and not Israeli operatives.

When their cover was blown, the Israeli and Hamas forces began to shoot it out. A senior Hamas security officer and the commander of the Israeli team were killed. Another Israeli operative was seriously wounded. The team raced to a prearranged exfiltration point where IDF helicopters picked up the remaining members of the team.

IDF Air Force planes then bombed the vehicles that the team had used to stop any intelligence gathering attempt by Hamas inside the vehicles and provide close air support for the team against quick reaction forces of Hamas. The Israelis claim that “between 16 and 20 Hamas members were killed and another 40 to 60 were wounded.” IDF Chief of Staff Gadi Eisenkot said the special forces “completed many operations in recent years that benefit Israel’s security.”

Israeli vehicle destroyed by the IDF after the team of operatives left Gaza to prevent intelligence gathering from the vehicle.

Speaking to Israeli television news on Saturday, Eisenkot said “there were mistakes made” in that operation as well as “heroic actions.”

The Israelis are conducting an internal investigation on the mission which according to Hamas, involved 12-15 operatives who had been crossing the border frequently in the months leading up to the mission. They apparently possessed falsified documents and had posed as employees of an aid agency.

In the immediate aftermath of the operation, Hamas began to round up anyone suspected of helping the Israeli team. They arrested “45 agents after the security incident east of Khan Younis last November and they are under investigation.”

They then responded with rocket and mortar attacks that targeted Israel. They fired about 460 projectiles in Israeli territory. One man, a Palestinian laborer was killed when a rocket hit a building was working at in the city of Ashkelon and 27 people were wounded. They also published a video where they launched an anti-tank missile at a bus that they claimed was used by the IDF to shuttle troops.

The IDF Air Force responded with massive air strikes inside the Gaza Strip. At least seven more Palestinians were killed. Then Egypt brokered a cease-fire that stopped the bombing and rocket fire …for now.

On Saturday, Hamas released a video that shows surveillance footage taken from cameras located on the road near Khan Younis. The video, which aired on Hamas TV and by the Hamas-affiliated news agency Shehab, is made up of surveillance footage and animated reenactment of the operation. It is typical of the Hamas production with dramatic music interspersed with bold graphics.

In the compilation shown, there are two commercial vehicles which Hamas says was used by the Israeli team can be seen driving around Khan Younis. The footage also allegedly shows two Israeli operatives, a man and a woman, in what appears to be a grocery store.

The vehicles had been spotted by Hamas security forces but they believed they were dealing initially with a criminal gang and resultant gang activity.

Hamas spokesman Abu Obaida, from their military wing, the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades, gave the brief presentation complete with military fatigues and his head wrapped in a scarf. He said the terror group was offering “a pardon to any possible collaborators” who assisted the Israeli teams and would help in identifying them. He said Hamas would also offer $1 million for information about the Israeli special forces.

Hamas had already published photos of eight people and two vehicles it said were linked to the operation immediately after the operation. This action prompted the Israeli army censor to appeal to the public and media not to republish any of the images. (Which are blurred here)

Hamas published photos of alleged Israeli operatives in Gaza, that have been blurred by Israeli army censors.

“Israel should be concerned about the trove of information we have,” Abu Obaida said, warning Palestinians “who collaborate with Israel and assist the Israeli forces’ infiltration, we’ll get to them.” He claimed that they tracked the Israeli team, not only in Gaza but in other countries in the Middle East. One member of the team allegedly rented a beachfront property in Khan Yunis in southern Gaza which the team used as an assembly point.

Hamas also released photos of the weapons and other equipment, including saws, drills and two pistols with silencers, that were allegedly left behind from the Israeli team. The Hamas video can be seen here:

Photos: Screenshots from Hamas video

“When Heroes Fly” Opens Tonight on Netflix, Actors Interview

Tonight, January 10, Netflix is releasing a new series that looks to be a guaranteed hit with American audiences. The new show called “When Heroes Fly” centers around an Israeli Special Operations unit that was fighting in Lebanon in 2006. They then reunite to rescue a woman they believed to be dead, held in Colombia.

The unit is getting ready to leave Lebanon and have an exfiltration route planned to get them back in Israel where their families and lives are ready to get back to normal. But all hell breaks loose. Moving along their exfiltration route, they come across a disabled Israeli tank that is believed to be empty and the IDF air force is preparing to blow up to keep it from falling into the hands of Hamas. But when the unit finds the tank, there are two young scared crewmen still inside.

The Special Operations team gets into a fierce firefight with Hezbollah fighters that greatly outnumber them while trying to rescue some crewmen from the disabled Israeli tank. During the fighting, their commander is killed and several men wounded. The team is torn apart over it and bitter recriminations go back and forth over their decisions on that fateful night and it gets worse after they must conduct an after-action review for the Army upon returning home.

The men go their separate ways for 11 years and each is shown dealing with the stress of their war and loss in their own way until the sister of one of the team members, who was also the lover of the officer who took charge when the commander went down is seen in Colombia by one of the men while looking at a photo in a newspaper. The catch is that she supposedly died in a car crash there nine years before. And they find out that she’s being held against her will. So the commandos reunite for a final, personal rescue mission.

The team, still bitterly resentful to one another, reunite for final mission together that takes them deep into the heart of the Colombian jungle, where they soon realize that if they are to succeed in their search to find Yaeli, the missing woman each of them must first confront the trauma of their battle in Lebanon that tore them apart so many years before.

The trailer for the series can be seen below:

SpecialOperations.com was fortunate enough to sit down for a telephonic interview with the two main stars of the series, Tomer Kapon who plays Aviv Danino, the second-in-command of the Special Ops unit and who still suffers from terrible PTSD 11-years after his horrific experiences in Lebanon. And Israeli pop singer and actress Ninette Tayeb who plays Yael ‘Yaeli’ Ashkenazi, the love interest of Aviv who everyone believed killed in Colombia in a car accident nearly a decade ago. She is the pivotal character in the series that everything centers around.

While both Kapon and Tayeb are already big stars in the Israeli entertainment industry, they are both going to be well-known to American audiences as well. Besides “When Heroes Fly”, Kapon will be seen in the soon upcoming American miniseries, “The Boys” starring Karl Urban (Lord of the Rings), Jack Quaid and Karen Fukuhara (Suicide Squad). Tayeb has moved to Los Angeles and in addition to her acting career, she is kicking off her music career in the U.S. as well. She has released her first video, which was directed by her husband.

So, when we were contacted by the film company and asked if we were interested in getting a sneak peek at the series, we jumped at the chance. The Israelis are producing some excellent quality miniseries for television. “Fauda’ which centers around another Israeli Special Operations unit that goes undercover inside Gaza also starred Kapon.

The company sent us a trailer and a teaser with the entire first three episodes. While we have no idea how the show will play out, the first few hours of the series is plenty enough to hook you right in. It was the most popular new show in Israel and won the Canneseries Award at the Cannes Film Festival last April for the Best Series.

So we asked first to the both of them why they thought it was initially so successful in Israel last year. Both believed because it was so well done had a lot to do with it and the fact that it tells such a personal story for all of the actors. And the plight of the soldiers with PTSD is something that not only touches Americans but also resonates deeply with the Israelis.

With the PTSD, I asked Kapon about the scene where his character, Aviv has returned home three years later and is in the bar he owns with his girl (Tayeb). Everything is good until he sees one of the tankers they rescued, a young soldier who was shot in the head. He has a crushing flashback that sends him into a terrible depression and his life spiraling out of control. It was among the most powerful scenes in the first three episodes.

Kapon, who was an Israeli paratrooper and fought in Lebanon, knows how that would play to fellow soldiers. “Thanks, bro, it was a great scene because we were showing how everyone can be affected by PTSD.”

Tayeb’s character, Yaeli who has to try to somehow to hold Aviv and their relationship together is ripped apart by her inability to reach and ultimately help the man she loves. “I’m glad you picked up on that,” she said. “It was very intense and you are dealing with a very hurt individual. So many soldiers and their families have to deal with this. And it shows that the wounds of war are not always visible. Many times they are hidden, and that is why the character of Yaeli was so important. Because she was the woman who can bring him and all of them back.”

She said that she told the director that her role scared the shit out of her, but she wanted to not only take it on but jump in with both feet.

Tayeb who is a very accomplished singer but suffers from panic attacks allowed her husband to bring that out of her in her newest music video. We asked if she used that to pull some of her character’s felling out of the show. “Oh, you saw that? Thanks, it was similar, but obviously a very different emotional state there, I use a different emotion I think in my music,” she added.

About the series, this will relate to everyone, she says because everyone has a heart, a soul, it is so emotional she said because war is everywhere and we all know someone that has been affected like this.

I asked them about filming in Colombia and how they enjoyed their time there. “The place was magical bro,” Kapon said. “It was beautiful, so different from Israel. I loved it there.”

Tayeb agreed that it was magical. “We shot our first scenes in the jungle and I loved it,” she said. “When we arrived there, I immediately loved the place. I picked up my guitar and took off into the jungle all by myself for a while and just played and got in tune with the entire place which is unlike anything I’ve ever been.”

We asked Kapon about his latest experience filming his upcoming American feature, “it was a blast” he said. “We were filming up in Vancouver and had a great time and I think that show is going to be a good one.”

So, we asked him, can we expect some of the same edge of your seat reaction that we saw in Fauda? He said, “This is a bit of an emotional roller coaster, while Fauda dealt a lot with the action in the unit, this deals more with the characters and how they struggle to overcome their issues and how they pull together in their search for Yaeli”

We don’t want to give too much away here, because we want everyone to just enjoy the show as it unfolds. These Israeli Special Operators all get a second chance to find the peace that has eluded them since their days in a war together over 10 years before. But to find that peace may require perhaps even more loss.

The series was created by writer and director Omri Givron, co-creator of the Israeli show “Hostages,” and based on a book by late Israeli author Amir Gutfreund.

Other cast members include: Nadav Netz is Yaeli’s brother, Dov ‘Dubi’ Ashkenazi, Michael Aloni is the very successful business Dotan ‘Himmler’ Friedman. Himmler blames Aviv for their commander’s death and the two have become bitter towards one another. And Moshe Ashkenazi is Yakir ‘Benda’ Ben-David, the one member of the team everyone loves regardless of how they feel about the others. Benda is a character every unit in every army in the world has. While he has had own problems, the sight of him always brings a smile to the face of his former teammates. And they all greet him the same way….”Fucking Benda!”

The Hebrew-language series with English subtitles is guaranteed to appeal to the fans of the action genre as well as those who prefer the thriller type cliffhangers. Having watched the first three episodes, we can’t wait for the rest of the series to make its debut starting tonight. And the series was picked up for a second season which is good news to see the story continue on.

Tune in tonight on Netflix, you’ll be glad you did.

Photos/video: Courtesy of Spiro Films

Israeli SOF Units Are Preparing New Tactics to Face Hezbollah in Lebanon

With the news that Hezbollah is turning Lebanese villages along the border with Israel into military bases, the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) specifically their Special Operations Forces are expecting an urban guerrilla warfare scenario. And they are preparing their forces and training to meet the threat.

Hezbollah has been constructing tunnels from Lebanon into Israel to dispatch guerrilla fighters into Israeli territory from these border villages. The Israelis have already detected several but expect to find many more.

The tunnels although important, are just part of the problem. The plan is to attack Israeli border towns by infiltrating fighters behind the towns to cut off reinforcements, while other units stationed among the Lebanese villagers will launch rockets, mortar fire and anti-tank fire and attack across the border at Israeli troops. Any return fire by Israelis will be bound to hit Lebanese civilians who are hopelessly intermingled as a matter of planning with Hezbollah fighters.

Lebanese village on the Israeli border was largely destroyed in 2006 during the war between Hezbollah and Israel. (Author photo)

One such village, Kafr Kela, is right along the border and relatively small with 10,000 citizens, most of them Shiite, and comprised of mainly farmers. But Hezbollah has a base, including about 20 arms depots, fighting positions both overground and underground, observation posts, and intelligence gathering personnel there. At the south of the village, is the road along the Israel-Lebanon border. Observation points along this road are also used for rioting.

Hezbollah which is in essence, nothing more than an Iranian puppet organization is hardly the first of Israel’s enemies to use Lebanon as a staging area to attack the Jewish state. After the Six-Day War, the PLO used Lebanon for cross-border raids which became more frequent after they were expelled from Jordan in 1971.

The Syrians took advantage of the Lebanese Civil War to occupy the country for nearly 30 years. But the Israelis launched border raids without success in 1976 and again in 1982 before they were finally able to oust the PLO from Lebanon.

Hezbollah came into being in 1985 and immediately began their rhetoric of taking back the land from the Jewish state. From 2000-2006, Hezbollah launched more than 200 attacks on Israel mostly with artillery or rocket fire.

During the 2006 Lebanon War, Hezbollah mixed closely with civilians and often refused to allow civilians to flee the battlefield. Thus when air strikes and counter-battery artillery fire from the IDF hit, it caused numerous civilian casualties. But the mainstream media ignored the cause and instead accused Israel of indiscriminately targeting civilians. Even Al-Jazeera reported it: “Foreign journalists based in Lebanon also reported that the Shia militia chose to fight from civilian areas and had on occasion prevented Lebanese civilians from fleeing conflict-hit areas of south Lebanon.” But Amnesty International and the Human Rights Watch persisted with the same story. And Hezbollah is doing it again.

Lebanese villages on the northern Israeli border are where Hezbollah units are constructing tunnels into Israel. (Author photo)

The Israelis however, have learned their lesson from 2006. They are adjusting their planning for the next conflict which is surely coming. The mullahs in Tehran don’t care about the Lebanese people or civilian casualties.

The IDF’s Commando Brigade held a big exercise at the end of November where they were putting some of their new tactics to use in a practical exercise. Instead of attacking with Commandos along with Armor and Infantry forces in a frontal attack, the Commandos along with the Paratrooper Brigade, now called a Yeshuron Force. The IDF held a briefing earlier this year and described Yeshuron Forces as those “to deliver a strong punch to the enemy from multiple directions,” they said.

The Commandos and Special Forces units (Egoz, Maglan, and Duvdevan) will operate ahead of and behind the Hezbollah units, thus engaging them from their rear areas where they’ve traditionally been able to travel freely.

The exercise had the SOF units conducting lightning raids, moving quickly between targets, calling in close air support and operating not only in the open areas of the countryside but in urban areas as well.

In 2006, Hezbollah used their urban setting, underground tunnels, and intermingling with the civilian populace to render air strikes against them ineffective. But by utilizing their new tactics, the Israeli Special Operations Forces are planning on closing with and defeating their enemy in close combat, where they can effectively rain down air support by their operators and then whisk them to another area quickly.

Hezbollah’s troops are very well trained and have plenty of battle experience in Syria. They are considered excellent in the newest catchphrase “ asymmetrical urban warfare”, which someone spent months coming up with and received impact awards for their study in. But in essence, it just goes back to the old one guerrilla warfare. But asymmetrical sounds so 2010s.

The Commando Brigade is led by Col. Kobi Heller, who was quoted by JNS.org that “the brigade, which was only formed three years ago, is the new operational device in the IDF’s toolbox, capable of providing a solution for any challenge or threat.”

Heller added that “this exercise proves that the brigade is prepared to deal with any scenario required of it and that it is ready to face any enemy in any area.”

The Iranian forces in neighboring Syria have taken a beating lately against Israeli airstrikes which may have set back their timetables for attacking Israel. After the Israeli air force (IAF) hit several Iranian weapon convoys which were destined for both the Hezbollah and the Quds Forces in Syria this spring, Qassem Soleimani, the commander of the Quds Force of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps ordered missile attacks on northern Israel.

More than 20 rockets were launched at Northern Israel in retaliation, but none reached their targets. In response, the IAF then destroyed more than 50 Iranian targets in Syria with devastating air strikes. Among the targets were intelligence facilities, logistic headquarters, observation posts, weapon-storage depots, rocket launchers, and air defense batteries.

Photos: IDF, author

New Miniseries “When Heroes Fly” Looks to Be a Smash

The Israelis are producing some excellent quality miniseries for television. “Fauda’ which centers around an Israeli Special Operations unit that goes undercover inside Gaza looks a lot like what we’ve read recently where a real operation went bad and the team got into a shootout with Palestinian members of Hamas. “Mossad 101” was another good one, where candidates for the Israeli spy agency are put thru the ringer by their demanding instructor who is running live ops while training his class of candidates. And they don’t know which is real or training.

The latest is a new series which will debut on January 10th on Netflix called “When Heroes Fly.” It centers around another Israeli Special Operations unit that was fighting in Lebanon in 2006. They get into a fierce firefight with Hezbollah fighters that greatly outnumber them while trying to rescue some crewmen from a disabled Israeli tank. During the fighting, their commander is killed. The team has a falling out over it and bitter recriminations go back and forth over their decisions on that fateful night which takes place when the team is trying to exfil back to Israeli territory and go home the next day.

The men go their separate ways for 11 years until the sister of one of the teammates, who happened to be the lover of the officer who took charge when the commander went down is seen in Colombia. Except that she supposedly died in a car crash there nine years before. And they find out that she’s being held against her will. So the commandos reunite for a final, personal rescue mission.

Their final mission together takes them deep into the heart of the Colombian jungle, where they soon realize that if they are to succeed in their search to find Yaeli, each of them must first confront the trauma of their battle in Lebanon that tore them apart so many years before.

It is about men from a Special Operations unit who all get a second chance to find the peace that has eluded them since their days together. But to do so will require perhaps even more loss.

SpecialOperations.com was contacted by the film company and we were lucky enough to get a sneak preview of the first three episodes. We hope to eventually sit down with some of the cast members before the January 10th premiere for a follow-up piece.

But the story is guaranteed to grab you and pull you in and keep you hooked until the final episode. It has been enormously popular in Israel and the cast and crew have already been signed on for a second season of 10 episodes.

The series was created by writer and director Omri Givron, co-creator of the Israeli show “Hostages,” and based on a book by late Israeli author Amir Gutfreund.

When Heroes Fly is produced by Spiro Films for Keshet Broadcasting. Having won the Best Series award at the inaugural Canneseries festival in April, the series debuted on Keshet 12 in May to rave reviews, increasing slot average by 35% in ratings and 21% in share, and making it the channel’s most-watched drama on Israeli television.

The headliner is Tomer Kappon who played a role in Netflix’s “Fauda”. He plays Aviv Danino, the second-in-command of the Special Ops unit and who suffers from horrible PTSD, after 11-years later from their experiences in Lebanon.

Israeli pop singer and actress Ninette Tayeb plays Yael ‘Yaeli’ Ashkenazi, the love interest of Aviv who everyone believed killed in Colombia in a car accident nearly a decade ago. She’s considered one of the most famous new faces in the Israeli entertainment industry.

Nadav Netz is her brother, Dov ‘Dubi’ Ashkenazi, Michael Aloni is the very successful business Dotan ‘Himmler’ Friedman. Himmler blames Aviv for their commander’s death and the two have become bitter towards one another. And Moshe Ashkenazi is Yakir ‘Benda’ Ben-David, the one member of the team everyone loves regardless of where they stand elsewhere.

The Hebrew-language film with English subtitles is guaranteed to appeal to the fans of the action genre as well as those who prefer the thriller type cliffhangers. Having watched the first three episodes, we can’t wait for the rest of the series to make its debut in January. The trailer for the series can be seen below:

Israeli Infiltration Shocks Hamas In Aftermath of Shootout

Last week on November 11, an Israeli intelligence operation went awry in Gaza and the Israeli operatives, after having their cover blown by security forces, were forced to shoot their way out. In the bloody shootout that followed, the senior Israeli officer, identified only as LTC “M” was killed. A reserve Captain was seriously wounded. Six Hamas security men were killed, including a senior member of Hamas’ Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades.

The Israeli operatives belonged to a very select Special Operations unit known as “Mista’arvim” in their military, the IDF (Israeli Defense Forces). Mista’arvim is an Israeli security counter-terrorism unit that operates undercover deep inside Arab-held territory. These units are trained to blend among the local Arab population. Most come from an Arab/Israeli background and are native Arabic speakers. Their missions include intelligence gathering, arrests of wanted terrorists, hostage rescue and assassinations, using disguise and surprise as their main weapons.

The name Mista’arvim is derived from the Arabic “Musta’arabi,” meaning “those who live among the Arabs.” Back in during the Arab rule in the 7th century, there were many Arabic-speaking Musta’arabi Jews who lived amongst the Arab population.

According to Hamas’ releases, the Israeli unit hadn’t been in Gaza for just a few days but had been there for some weeks. They traced their activities for some time and found that the unit had rented safe houses and been scouting strategic locations, including the homes of senior Hamas officials. They’ve called on the public to assist in finding out more information.

In doing so, the published the photos of the Israeli undercover operatives, which will probably preclude them from ever working undercover again. Hamas has stated that the Israelis were looking to plant spy devices at key locations in the Hamas-controlled town.

But in another release, they stated that the Israelis were there to kidnap Nur Barakeh, head of Hamas military wing. It was Barakeh, who reportedly was killed in the firefight that followed.

Hamas released the information about the Special Operations team because they’re trying to verify their own findings and are perhaps unsure of their own intelligence. Therefore, they released the information via social media in an effort to monitor the Israeli side of social media.

Israeli social media would be quick to speculate, try to identify and discuss the events that unfolded and may give Hamas the needed intelligence that they are seeking on this operation.

The IDF military censors are going all out for the citizens of Israel not to discuss the events on social media nor to share the photos that Hamas has released on the Special Operations team.

“Hamas is working now to interpret and understand the event that occurred within Gaza on November 11, and every piece of information, even if it is considered by the publisher as harmless, is liable for endangering human lives and damaging the security of the state,” said the IDF Military Censor this week.

“Without regard to the credibility of the details published by Hamas, we encourage you to refrain as much as possible from further distributing images, personally identifiable information, or other personal information which has come to your attention in the media, social networks, WhatsApp groups, and any other media platform. We must act responsibly.”

In fact, Hamas seems shocked by the depth that Israeli Special Operations teams have infiltrated Gaza. The realization that there are teams of elite Israeli Special Operatives working freely the streets of Gaza is a scary proposition for Hamas, rather than have a few of their citizenry who have collaborated with the Jews.

Once the Israelis left their undercover vehicles to board rescue helicopters, the IDF drones and air force bombed them to prevent Hamas from finding any usable intelligence, however, they did find several items of interest and are still trying to piece the entire operation together.

The Hamas security people initially believed that they were on the tail of criminals. They thought the Israelis were drug smugglers until the IDF began firing on the Hamas fighters with drones and aircraft. Barakeh, according to Hamas questioned the passengers of the vehicle, including two IDF officers dressed in women’s clothing. When their subterfuge failed, weapons were drawn and a firefight broke out. The Israeli newspaper Hadashot had a copy of the radio transcripts from the Hamas people during the operation.

“To all forces and posts, a blue VW vehicle is near the Islamic University, traveling suspiciously and fast. There are suspects inside the vehicle, they are dangerous, approach them cautiously.”

This was followed by, “The vehicle broke through our checkpoint and fired at us from within the vehicle,” the Hamas radio reported. And then once the battle commenced, the Israelis raced to a spot for exfiltration by helicopter as they were 2 miles from the border. But the tone changed in the Hamas radio chatter.

“Four fighter jets are above me. There was a strike near us. The jets are coming from the north. They attacked one of the (Hamas) cars. Hide. Close in on the Jews. Don’t let them leave Gaza,” one Hamas commander yelled into the radio during the bloody scrap.

In response to the firefight, Hamas then launched close to 500 rockets at Israel, many were intercepted by the Iron Dome air-defense artillery. However, one citizen was killed and over 100 were wounded. The Israelis responded with massive airstrikes that targeted over 160 military sites for Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad, four of which the IDF reported were of strategic importance. Then a truce, a cease-fire was brokered by the Egyptians and the area has settled down to an uneasy quiet…for now.

As a result, Hamas is now cracking down on its own people, their masked, police are now doing searches for “collaborators” who aided the Israelis. And in particular, a small van that may have either been driven by the Israels or by the Palestinians who helped them. Locals are being subjected to random searches of their persons and homes.

But this is normal operating procedure at times for Hamas. The leaders will root out political rivals, accuse them of spying for the Jews and executing them.

Regardless, the Hamas leadership is now operating in full-blown panic mode. They are seeing Israeli spies behind every wall and the political and military leaders of Hamas are reportedly not even speaking to one another.

Photo: Wikipedia