Sayeret Matkal

Sayeret Matkal (Hebrew: סיירת מטכ"ל - General Staff Reconnaissance unit) is the elite special forces unit of the Israeli Defence Force. It was established in 1957 as Unit 269 by veterans of the Paratroopers Brigade, Unit 101 and the IDF's Intelligence Branch (Aman). Its main roles are counter terror, deep reconnaissance and intelligence gathering. The unit is modelled on the British SAS, and organizationally reports to Aman. Its nickname in the IDF is simply "The Unit". The unit's motto is "Who dares - Wins" (same as the SAS motto).

Related Topics:
Sayeret Matkal - Hebrew - Special forces - Israeli Defence Force - 1957 - Paratroopers Brigade - Unit 101 - Aman - Counter terror - Reconnaissance - Intelligence gathering - British - SAS

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The unit is best known for Operation Thunderbolt, mistakenly better known as Operation Entebbe, in which it rescued more than 100 Air France airline passengers hijacked to Uganda by PLO terrorists, losing the unit commander (Yonathan Netanyahu) to enemy gunfire.

Related Topics:
Operation Entebbe - Air France - Uganda - PLO - Yonathan Netanyahu

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