Report: IDF Creates New Commando Brigade Following Border Clash With Islamic State-Linked Terrorists

The Algemeiner reports: The clash between IDF troops and ISIS-affiliated fighters along the Syrian border on Sunday, which resulted in the killing of four of the terrorists, reinforced the imperative for what the Israeli army’s top brass has been considering — the creation of a new special commando brigade, similar to another one that was established last year to counter mounting threats against the Jewish state, the Hebrew news site Walla reported on Monday.

According to the report, IDF Chief-of-Staff Lt.-Gen. Gadi Eizenkot ordered an examination into the possibility of assembling an elite brigade like Oz, which was officially launched in December 2015. A review of the exercises conducted by Oz commandos since then revealed their ability to shift swiftly from routine activity to deployment deep into enemy territory — something that puts the brigade at a significant advantage over the rest of its infantry counterparts.

As was reported in The Algemeiner upon its inauguration, Oz consists of four elite units: Maglan, Duvdevan, Egoz and Rimon. At the time, Eizenkot said its establishment was crucial to countering the threat of ISIS and other terrorist groups, particularly the Lebanon-based Hezbollah, which has been operating in Syria on behalf of President Bashar Assad’s forces.

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