Lt. Col. A. made history on Tuesday by being appointed the first Druze commander of the Israel Air Force's commando unit, Shaldag ("Kingfisher").
The appointment will also make him the first Druze commander of any of the IDF's four elite units: Sayeret Matkal, its top special forces unit; Shaldag; the Shayetet 13 naval commandos; and Unit 669, which carries out heliborne search, rescue and extraction missions.
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Hailing from the town of Isfiya in northern Israel, Lt. Col. A began his career in the army in Shaldag, where he was also the first Druze soldier to complete the unit's arduous training course.
"I accept this appointment with tremendous excitement, understand the size of the responsibility, am ready for the challenges that lie ahead, and am prepared to continue leading the unit in its special operations and in war," said A.
A, is currently the commander of the Golani infantry brigade's special reconnaissance unit, Sayeret Golani, commanded the successful manhunt for the killer of Staff Sgt. Amit Ben Yigal, who was a member of the unit.
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