Unit 621 | |
---|---|
Yehidat Egoz | |
Active | 1995 – present |
Country | Israel |
Branch | Israeli Ground Forces |
Type | Special Forces |
Role | Anti-guerilla warfare Special reconnaissance Direct action |
Size | Battalion |
Part of | Central Command 98th Division 89th Brigade |
Engagements | South Lebanon conflict (1985–2000) Second Intifada 2006 Lebanon War Operation Protective Edge Hamas-Israel War (2023-) |
Commanders | |
Current commander | Classified |
Notable commanders | Erez Zuckerman |
The Egoz Unit (Hebrew: יחידת אגוז, romanized: Yehidat Egoz, lit. "Nut Unit", Egoz being the acronym for "anti-guerrilla and small-scale warfare"),[1][2] officially Unit 621, is an elite Israel Defense Forces (IDF) commando unit specializing in anti-guerrilla warfare, special reconnaissance, and direct action. It is a part of the IDF Central Command's 89th Brigade (commonly referred to as the commando brigade).[3]
The unit specializes in combat in dense terrain, fieldcraft, camouflage, and guerrilla warfare—close-range fighting where the fighter's skill and professionalism are critical to success. The unit operates in all terrains and theaters, focusing mainly on the northern sector.[4]
Egoz also has a unique ordnance platoon, tasked with developing creative solutions and technological innovations to address new challenges encountered on the battlefield and to provide defense against new methods of enemy attack.[5]
The unit’s memorial site, commemorating its various incarnations, is located at Nabi Hazuri in the northern Golan Heights.[6]
In its first iteration, the unit was established in 1956 as Egoz Reconnaissance Unit, a Northern Command reconnaissance unit, and operated until the end of the Yom Kippur War in 1974.[7]