President Rivlin speaking to to the Alpinist unit, Feb. 10, 2021.
President Reuven Rivlin visited the Mount Hermon front on Wednesday and met with soldiers of the IDFâs Alpinist unit, accompanied by their commander, Lt.-Col. (res.) Menachem Folk. The president was briefed by GOC Northern Command Maj.-Gen. Amir Baram on the unique sector and the operational challenges across the command.
The IDF Alpinist (Yehidat Ha’Alpinistim), established in 1983, is a special force infantry reserve unit under the command of the Army’s Northern Command, specializing in mountain warfare, snow warfare, and difficult terrain warfare on the northern front. The Alpinists are proficient in many aspects of snow warfare, among them shooting and attacking while sliding on skis and custom-made Snowcats, and defensive tactics in low-temperature conditions. The force’s standard equipment includes M4 Carbine assault rifles, the TAR-21 Tavor assault rifle, a Negev light machine gun, and M24 and SR-25