IDF Units You Haven't Heard Of!

We all hear and know about the classic units. You may have heard about a tank unit, submarine unit, or maybe even a dog unit. We searched for some IDF units that you never heard of!

The Alpinist Unit| יחידת האלפיניסטים

Israel is known for its usually warm weather but surprisingly enough, the IDF has a special unit, that’s sole purpose is to fight under extremely cold and snowy conditions. The unit’s white colors are a rare sight in the IDF scenery, adding to its mysterious perception.

Did you know? The Alpinist Unit consists of only reserve soldiers, meaning some of these fierce warriors are over 50 years old, moving in the snow alongside other men over 20 years younger than them.

YALTAM Unit | יחידת ילת"ם

YALTAM is a special unit, in charge of underwater activities, including diving, neutralizing mines, and even repairing the underbellies of army ships and submarines.

Bonus fun fact: YALTAM was once called to extract a suspicious object out of the Dead Sea waters. The object turned out to be a secret weapon hoard from the time of the British Mandate.

Mahleket Habakara | מחלקת הבקרה

The Inspection Unit, also known as “Ipcha Mistabra” which means ‘on the contrary’ in Aramaic, is a small department in the Intelligence Corps that consists primarily of officers with academic backgrounds, whose purpose is to examine the research-based future expectations of the army and offer different scenarios that the army doesn't consider possible.

In other words, this group plays the role of the Devil’s Advocate, so the IDF doesn't run into any surprises.