Border between Israel and Egypt
Photo: Reuters
Tunnels for easy border crossing
Photo: AP
Major General Galant. decided to form new unit
Photo: Haim Tzach
New brigade to stop terror activity along Egypt border
Following Eilat terror attack last month, IDF implements decision to establish brigade to defend long and breached southern border
A new Israel Defense Forces brigade is planned to be officially established in the coming days. The Sagi Brigade will operate along Israel's southern border with Egypt. The necessity for this brigade received emphasis last month after the Eilat bombing,
which killed three people.
A high ranking officer from the Southern Command told Ynet that due to the ever-increasing terrorist related efforts along the border, Israel needs a much larger force to cope with the challenges.
Breached Border
Hanan Greenberg
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"However, the government has not yet decided to allocate funding to deal with the obstacles in the area, so we cannot guarantee that another attack will not occur," he added.
Despite the proximity to the murderous attack in Eilat, the decision to set up a new regional brigade was made soon after Yoav Galant, Southern Command Chief, was appointed in 2005.
It was clear in the southern command that after the disengagement, leaving the Gaza strip with no Israeli presence, those engaged in terrorism would have to find a new line of attack.
Before the disengagement, criminal activity thrived along the border. It was only a matter of time until terrorists would imitate the criminals' infiltration methods and routes.
170 kilometers of border
According to Shin Bet figures, 43 terrorists from the Gaza strip were stopped trying to enter Israel using that course. All of them were on their way to suicide attacks, or kidnappings. Several even had the explosive belt on their body.
Unfortunately, the terrorist who blew himself up did manage to make his way through, without security forces spotting him.
Colonel Udi Ben Muha will be the first Sagi commander. His command will stretch along 170 kilometers with a complex topographic make-up, including several mountains. One of these mountains gave the brigade its name.
The high ranking officer said that the brigade has great significance in Israel's activity in the region. "Until now we used rotating brigades as an ad hoc solution. Now we will have a constant source of information," he added.
He emphasized that this way the troops will be familiar with the region and will know the best modus operandi for each scenario. "We will much more affective," he concluded.
