Hawa ndo wenyewe: SHAYETE 13
[h=1]Shayetet 13[/h]From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jump to:
navigation,
search
[TABLE="class: infobox vcard, width: 315"]
[TR]
[TH="class: fn org, bgcolor: #b0c4de, colspan: 2, align: center"]Shayetet 13[/TH]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD="colspan: 2, align: center"]
S'13 Insignia[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TH]Active[/TH]
[TD]1948–Present[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR="class: adr"]
[TH]Country[/TH]
[TD]
Israel[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TH]Branch[/TH]
[TD]
Israeli Navy[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TH]Type[/TH]
[TD]Naval
Commando[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TH]Garrison/HQ[/TH]
[TD]
Atlit naval base[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TH]Nickname[/TH]
[TD]השייטת (HaShayetet,
The Flotilla)[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TH]Engagements[/TH]
[TD]
Six-Day War
War of Attrition
Operation Spring of Youth
Occupation of South Lebanon
Operation Moses
Second Intifada
Santorini
Noah's Ark
2006 Lebanon War
Gaza War
Francop Affair
Gaza flotilla raid
Iron Law[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TH="bgcolor: #b0c4de, colspan: 2, align: center"]Commanders[/TH]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TH]Notable
commanders[/TH]
[TD]
Ami Ayalon
Ze'ev Almog[/TD]
[/TR]
[/TABLE]
Shayetet 13 (
Hebrew: שייטת 13‎, lit.
Flotilla 13) is the elite naval
commando unit of the
Israeli Navy. The unit is considered one of the primary
Special Forces units of the
Israel Defense Forces (along with
Sayeret Matkal and
Shaldag Unit). S'13 specializes in sea-to-land incursions,
counter-terrorism,
sabotage, maritime
intelligence gathering, maritime
hostage rescue, and boarding. The unit has taken part in almost all of Israel's major wars, as well as other actions. The unit is one of the most secretive in the Israeli military. The details of many missions and identities of active operatives are kept highly
classified. The unit is respected as among the best of the world's
special forces,[SUP]
[1][/SUP] and is often compared to the
US Navy SEALs, the
Kampfschwimmer and Britain's
Special Boat Service.[SUP]
[2][/SUP]
[TABLE="class: toc"]
[TR]
[TD][h=2]Contents[/h] [
hide]
[/TD]
[/TR]
[/TABLE]
[h=2][
edit] History[/h][h=3][
edit] Founding[/h]Shayetet 13 is a veteran Israeli special forces unit. It was formed in 1948 by
Yohai Ben-Nun with men drawn from the ranks of the
Palyam, the naval branch of the
Haganah. The need for such a dedicated unit was a matter of debate during the early years of the IDF, and the unit subsequently suffered size and budget restrictions. The existence of S'13 was only made public in 1960 and the general Israeli Navy insignia worn by members until then was replaced with the bat-winged insignia used at present.[SUP]
[3][/SUP]
[h=3][
edit] Early years[/h]During the 1956
Suez Crisis, Shayetet 13 commandos performed several failed reconnaissance missions before the campaign. They later participated in the land campaign as regular soldiers, and almost carried out a plan to capture an
Egyptian Navy frigate. The plan was called off because the elite unit's soldiers were deemed too valuable to risk for low-priority targets.[SUP]
[4][/SUP]
On July 9, 1958, Shayetet 13 operatives infiltrated
Beirut harbor in Operation Yovel. They were discovered, and a gunfight and chase ensued. The commandos were able to retreat without any casualties.[SUP]
[4][/SUP]
In August 1966, the unit was given the mission of retrieving the wreckage of a
Syrian Air Force MiG that had been shot down and crashed into the
Sea of Galilee. Near the end of the operation, Syrian troops opened fire, and the salvage rope attached to the aircraft was dropped. The Syrians were later able to pick it up and drag their aircraft to safety.[SUP]
[4][/SUP]
[h=3][
edit] 1967-1973[/h]During the 1967
Six Day War, the unit was tasked with neutralizing enemy fleets. S'13 commandos infiltrated
Port Said, but found no ships there, and during a raid into
Alexandria, six divers were captured and taken prisoner, and released in January 1968. Several other missions also failed.[SUP]
[4][/SUP][SUP]
[5][/SUP]
In July 1967, Shayetet 13 commandos crossed the Suez Canal and blew up an Egyptian rail line in two places. The operation was carried out in retaliation for Egyptian shelling.[SUP]
[4][/SUP]
Operation Barak was an Israeli naval mission to fly the flag in the Suez Canal carried out in July 1967, following Egyptian artillery attacks and firing on Israeli ships in the Suez Canal. S'13 participated in the operation. The operation was carried out in daylight, and the Egyptians opened fire from their positions, sinking a boat.[SUP]
[4][/SUP]
In 1969 during the
War of Attrition, the unit successfully carried out the
Green Island raid in cooperation with
Sayeret Matkal. Three of the six Israeli soldiers killed during the operation were S'13 operatives. The Egyptians lost about 80 killed. On September 7, 1969, Shayetet 13 carried out
Operation Escort, raiding the Egyptian anchorage at
Ras Sadat and destroying a pair of Egyptian P-183 torpedo-boats. Three operators were killed on the way back from the mission when one of their charges detonated.
Escort, nevertheless, allowed the IDF to carry out
Operation Raviv, a highly successful 10-hour raid on Egypt's Red Sea coast.[SUP]
[6][/SUP][SUP]
[7][/SUP]
During the 1970s the unit underwent a rebuild with more emphasis placed on sea-to-land incursions and on effective training. More issues rose with other IDF SF units, which at the time suggested that that S'13 should only provide the transportation to the target and assistance in crossing water obstacles, while leaving the surface warfare to the other IDF SF units.[SUP]
[5][/SUP]
Operation Bardas 20 took place on January 14, 1971, to neutralize a guerilla base in
Lebanon, near
Sidon, where about two dozen militants were training as frogmen. During the operation, a number of buildings at the base were destroyed, and a number of guerillas were wounded, including commander Abu Youssef. During the course of the raid, the commandos discovered a house with several women in it, and decided not to blow it up.[SUP]
[4][/SUP]
S'13, Unit 707, and Sayeret Tzanhanim commandos jointly raided guerilla bases in
Nahr al-Bared and
Beddawi on February 19, 1973 in Operation Bardas 54-55. During the operation, about 40 guerillas were killed and 60 wounded, and a
Turkish military trainer was taken prisoner.[SUP]
[4][/SUP]
S'13 took part in
Operation Spring of Youth in 1973, in which Israeli special forces raided
Beirut and killed several members of
Black September, the group which had carried out the
Munich Massacre of Israeli athletes in the
Munich 1972 Summer Olympics.[SUP]
[8][/SUP]
During the
Yom Kippur War, S'13 commandos infiltrated Egyptian ports numerous times, sinking five Egyptian naval vessels and heavily damaging another. Two commandos went missing during one of the raids.[SUP]
[4][/SUP]
[h=3][
edit] Lebanon[/h]Following the
Yom Kippur War, the S'13 carried out various missions against guerilla boats and those who assisted them, with mediocre success. During
Operation Litani in 1978, S'13 carried out ambushes, killing a senior enemy commander in one of them. From 1979 to 1981, the unit carried out 22 successful raids against guerilla targets in
Lebanon. The successes resulted in a unit decoration.[SUP]
[4][/SUP]
Following intelligence reports that a guerilla unit based south of the mouth of the Zaharani river in Ras a-Shaq, Lebanon, was preparing to carry out a kidnapping and "bargaining" operation on a community in northern Israel, S'13 commandos raided the base on April 19, 1980. During the raid, about 15 guerillas were killed, including the commander of the would-be infiltration unit and two of its members, and two structures were destroyed. Several commandos were wounded.[SUP]
[4][/SUP]
During the
1982 Lebanon War, Shayetet 13 commandos participated in creating a beach head at the mouth of the Awali river, enabling armor and
infantry to land. The unit also carried out three raids on
PLO targets in
Beirut, and carried out several other raids and ambushes during the war.[SUP]
[4][/SUP]
From the early 1980s the unit became increasingly involved in the
Lebanon conflict, demonstrating an excellent track record of dozens of successful operations each year, inflicting massive losses on
Hezbollah, both in life and equipment. Typical missions at the time were interdiction of guerilla vessels, blowing up enemy headquarters and key facilities, conducting
ambushes and planting explosives in guerilla routes.[SUP]
[5][/SUP] On September 8, 1997, the unit suffered a major blow during a raid in
Lebanon: A team of 16 S'13 fighters stumbled upon an ambush of
IEDs which had been laid by Hezbollah. At least three explosive devices were used against the team, killing 11. To this day, it is unknown whether or not the team fell into a random ambush or one that was set after the
UAV, which accompanied the raid, broadcast real time information about the fighters troop arrival and location through unsecured satellite channel due to human failure and hence provided Hezbollah with real-time intelligence.[SUP]
[9][/SUP] Some suggested that the explosions that killed the 11 fighters were actually the team's own explosives, activated by accident. This is mostly considered an unlikely theory.[SUP]
[9][/SUP][SUP]
[10][/SUP] On November 25, 1988, the unit, along with other forces, conducted a raid on the base of PFLP-GC commander
Ahmed Jibril. The IDF estimated that 20 guerillas were killed in the raid. However, several commandos were killed, and Jibril managed to escape.[SUP]
[4][/SUP]
[h=3][
edit] Operation Moses[/h]During the mid-1980s, Shayetet 13 played an active part in
Operation Moses, which brought thousands of Ethiopian Jews to Israel. After the
Mossad had established a diving resort on the
Sudanese coast to serve a conduit for Jews fleeing
Ethiopia, Shayetet 13 operatives would arrive on dinghies at night to ferry the refugees to an
Israel Navy boat waiting offshore.[SUP]
[11][/SUP]
[h=3][
edit] Second Intifada[/h]During the
Second Intifada, S'13 soldiers took part in ground
counter terror operations deep within the
West Bank and the
Gaza Strip. S'13 performed hundreds of operations, including the arrest and killing of members of
Hamas,
Islamic Jihad and the
Al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades. The unit also participated in the
Battle of Jenin. It earned high acclaim due to the successful capture of three Palestinian vessels which attempted to smuggle in weapons:
Karine A,
Santorini and Abu-Yusuf. The Karine A incident, in particular was considered a highly difficult operation. In 2004, their operations were temporarily suspended following a complaint from
B'Tselem, an Israeli human rights group, that operatives had shot an unarmed Palestinian fighter for no reason. An investigation found that the commandos had good reason to assume the guerilla was concealing a grenade, and the unit was put back into action.[SUP]
[4][/SUP]
In 2002 and in 2003, S'13 won the Chief-of-Staff citation for successful counter terrorism operations.
[h=3][
edit] 2006 Lebanon War[/h]
Shayetet 13 commandos filmed during the
Tyre raid
During the
2006 Lebanon War, S'13 commandos successfully
raided Tyre, killing 27 Hezbollah and
Iranian Revolutionary Guard operatives, including senior commanders in Hezbollah's strategic rocket-launch network, while suffering eight wounded.[SUP]
[12][/SUP]
[h=3][
edit] Syria 2008[/h]According to the
Sunday Times, Shayetet 13 snipers shooting from a yacht were responsible for the assassination of Syrian General
Muhammad Suleiman.[SUP]
[13][/SUP]
[h=3][
edit] Operation Cast Lead[/h]During
Operation Cast Lead, which lasted from December 2008 to January 2009, Shayetet 13 commandos landed on the
Gaza Strip coastline to strike Hamas targets on land.[SUP]
[14][/SUP] S'13 commandos were also reportedly involved in two
Israeli airstrikes in
Sudan against
Iranian-supplied arms being smuggled into the Gaza Strip. The strikes hit a 17-truck convoy carrying arms, and an Iranian arms ship docking in
Sudan.[SUP]
[15][/SUP]
[h=3][
edit] Francop Affair[/h]Further information:
Francop Affair
On 4 November 2009, the
Antiguan-flagged vessel
MV Francop, which had been carrying arms and munitions from Iran to Hezbollah, was successfully boarded and taken over by Shayetet 13 commandos. The commandos subsequently found the well-hidden weapons.[SUP]
[16][/SUP][SUP]
[17][/SUP]
[h=3][
edit] Gaza Flotilla Operation[/h]Further information:
Gaza flotilla raid
On May 31, 2010, Shayetet 13 took part in
Operation Sea Breeze or
Operation Sky Winds against a flotilla trying to break the blockade of Gaza. The commandos, armed with non-lethal weaponry and 9mm pistols as sidearms,
abseiled from helicopters and boarded from speedboats, and apprehended five ships with mostly passive resistance. Aboard the
MV Mavi Marmara, the commandos were attacked by dozens of activists armed with knives and improvised weapons, and allegedly with firearms, including those seized from commandos. Three soldiers were captured, carried below deck, and were temporarily held in a passenger hall. The commandos initially used non-lethal force, but after this proved ineffective, they opened fire with live ammunition and seized control of the ship. Nine activists were killed,[SUP]
[18][/SUP] and several dozen were wounded. Seven commandos were also wounded, two of them seriously.[SUP]
[19][/SUP][SUP]
[20][/SUP]
International condemnation of the action followed.[SUP]
[21][/SUP] Subsequently, S'13 commandos
boarded and seized the aid ship
MV Rachel Corrie with no resistance.
[h=3][
edit] Victoria Affair[/h]Further information:
Victoria Affair
On March 15, 2011, Shayetet 13 took part in "Operation Iron Law," conducted on the high seas against the Liberian-flagged, German-owned
Victoria, a cargo vessel found to be carrying 50 tons of weapons which intelligence reports indicated had been consigned to
Hamas.[SUP]
[22][/SUP] The
Victoria was interdicted approximately 200 nautical miles from the Israeli coast, as it traveled from Turkey to El-Arish port in Egypt (other sources give the destination as Alexandria, Egypt).[SUP]
[22][/SUP] According to the Israel Defense Forces,
Victoria loaded the cargo in the
port of Latakia in Syria and sailed to
Mersin, Turkey.[SUP]
[23][/SUP] The ship was intercepted by Israeli Navy
Sa'ar 5-class corvettes and boarded by commandos from Shayetet 13, without resistance.[SUP]
[22][/SUP] The IDF has stated that the ship's crew was unaware it was carrying weapons, as they were concealed in 39 of the 100 containers on deck beneath bags of Syrian lentils and cotton.[SUP]
[22][/SUP] When seized by Shayetet 13,
Victoria was redirected to the
Port of Ashdod. There, further inspections were conducted and the contraband was unloaded. Israel then announced it would release the ship and allow
Victoria to continue to the Egyptian port of Alexandria.[SUP]
[24][/SUP]
[h=2][
edit] Organization[/h]Shayetet 13 is divided into three specialized company-sized units (Hebrew:
Palga):
- Raids (Palgat Haposhtim): Special Reconnaissance and Direct Action missions on land, Maritime Counter-Terrorism and Hostage Rescues.
- Underwater: Underwater Attacks and Sabotage, Hydrographic (Beach) Reconnaissance, and Beachhead Reconnaissance and Security.
- Above water: Surface Attacks, Sea Transportation of units to and from target areas.[SUP][25][/SUP][SUP][26][/SUP]
[h=2][
edit] Training[/h]The training of Shayetet 13 recruits lasts 20 months, and is considered one of the toughest courses in the IDF. The training phases consist of:
- Selection process. A selection camp to recruit for the unit is held twice a year. Cadets are put through physically and mentally challenging tests. Doctors and psychologists are at hand to prevent burnout and physical injury. This phase stresses psychological toughness, and tests recruits in their ability to take and operate under stress and fear.
- Six months of basic and advanced infantry training with other IDF units.
- Three weeks of parachute training at the IDF Parachuting School.
- Preparation phase. This phase lasts for three months and consists of advanced infantry and weapons training, basic elements of maritime warfare, operation of small vessels, long swims, forced marches, and demolitions.
- Four weeks of advanced training in combat diving. During this course, cadets learn the basics of combat diving, and how to cope with situations such as cold, darkness, clouded water, and how to survive high-risk underwater situations.
- Dedicated phase. This phase of training lasts about a year and includes training in advanced diving techniques with close-circuit systems, underwater demolition, sea-to-land incursions via diving, ships, submarines, and parachuting into the sea. This phase includes a three-week course at the IDF counter-terrorism school, where they learn counter-terrorism tactics and Krav Maga, a hand-to-hand combat system which is Israel's national martial art. Cadets then train in maritime counter-terrorism operations, such as the boarding of vessels, oil rigs and near-coast buildings. During this phase, soldiers are divided between the three specialized units based on their capabilities and personal interests, and train on their future specialty.
Shayetet 13 commandos continue to take part in training exercises, and participate in cross-training with foreign special units such as the
US Navy SEALs.[SUP]
[25][/SUP][SUP]
[26][/SUP]
[h=2][
edit] Equipment[/h]
Israel Navy
Maiale manned torpedo
A Morena-class rigid-hulled inflatable boat
[h=3][
edit] Weaponry[/h]
[h=3][
edit] Other equipment[/h]
[h=2][
edit] Cancer rate[/h]In recent years, it was discovered that S'13 veterans had high occurrence of
cancer, possibly due to training in the
polluted Kishon River. A commission for investigating the matter did not find statistical evidence that diving in the Kishon caused cancer, however,
Minister of Defense Shaul Mofaz decided to compensate the divers' families in spite of the commission's findings.[SUP]
[10][/SUP]
[h=2][
edit] See also[/h]
[h=2][
edit] References[/h]SOURCE:
Shayetet 13 - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
.jpg){kind=link}