Sword Battalion

Overview

The Sword Battalion, also called the Herev Battalion, was an infantry unit of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) associated with service by Druze citizens of Israel. Formed as the 299th Battalion in 1974, it guarded Israel’s northern border with Lebanon and later fought in the 2006 Lebanon War. It received the Herev name, meaning Sword, in 1986. The IDF closed the regular battalion in 2015 and assigned its soldiers to other units. That closure did not end every military formation bearing the name: an IDF account in 2026 identified a separate reserve Herev Battalion composed of Druze personnel.

History

The battalion’s origins lie in Druze military service during Israel’s founding years. Druze volunteers joined Jewish forces around the time of the 1948 Arab–Israeli War, and the IDF established a Minorities Unit during the war. Druze service subsequently developed within that framework. In 1956, compulsory military service was extended to Druze men following a request by community leaders. The early separate units gave recruits a route into military service at a time when language and training presented obstacles to wider integration.

In 1974, the IDF converted Unit 299 into an infantry battalion and assigned it a central role in guarding the border with Lebanon. The conversion expanded the duties open to its Druze soldiers beyond the earlier reconnaissance framework. The battalion participated in the 1978 South Lebanon conflict, its first service in a broad IDF operation. In 1986, it adopted the name Herev Battalion. Although identified chiefly with Druze service, accounts of its history also record Circassian and Jewish personnel in the earlier units from which it developed.

As Druze soldiers entered a wider range of IDF branches and command positions, the place of a separate regular battalion changed. By 2015, many young Druze recruits preferred assignments elsewhere in the military. IDF figures reported at the time showed that 5 percent of Druze recruits had requested the battalion in the preceding year, while 19 percent had been assigned to it without requesting it. On May 18, 2015, Chief of Staff Gadi Eizenkot announced that the regular Herev Battalion would close and its personnel would be integrated into other IDF units.

The decision drew opposition as well as support. Former Druze officers petitioned Israel’s High Court of Justice to halt the breakup, arguing that the battalion helped young Druze men enter the army and Israeli society and that its loss could reduce enlistment. Other Druze officers favored wider integration. Former battalion commander Munir Amar, for example, advocated service by Druze soldiers throughout the IDF. The regular battalion ceased taking recruits and closed later in 2015; its soldiers and commanders moved to other formations.

Structure and leadership

The regular Sword Battalion was an IDF infantry formation, rather than an independent armed organization. Its duties included routine security and patrol operations along Israel’s northern border and preparation for larger combat missions. Col. Ahil Salakh was its first commander following the establishment of the infantry battalion. Later commanders included Munir Amar and Mofid Marai. Lt. Col. Wajdi Sarhan commanded it during the 2006 Lebanon War. These officers’ subsequent service in other IDF posts illustrates the expansion of Druze military careers beyond the battalion.

Attacks and operations

Border defense shaped much of the battalion’s service. Its soldiers patrolled near Lebanon, trained for combat on the northern front and took part in operations against armed threats. The IDF awarded the unit a citation for an operation against an Egyptian intelligence unit in the Negev and another for its actions in the 2006 Lebanon War.

During the 2006 war, the battalion fought Hezbollah, a terrorist organization, in several areas of Lebanon. An IDF military history describes fighting near the border and operations at Maroun al-Ras, Aitaroun, Bint Jbeil and other locations. At Maroun al-Ras, battalion troops found a Hezbollah command post containing computers and documents. The unit fought for 29 consecutive days and later received a Northern Command citation for its wartime service. Its combat record remained part of the battalion’s identity during the years before the regular formation closed.

Current status

The 2015 decision ended the regular Druze battalion as the customary assignment for new recruits. Druze soldiers continued to serve across the Israel Defense Forces, including in combat units. The Sword Battalion name also remained in reserve service. In April 2026, an IDF account identified Fares as commander of a reserve Herev Battalion composed of Druze personnel and described a meeting with him during operations in Lebanon. The regular battalion’s closure and the later service of a reserve Sword Battalion are therefore distinct developments in the unit’s history.