For the first time in Israel's history on Wednesday, the country officially named a national counter-terrorism unit. Prime Minister Naftali Bennett bestowed the honor on the Israel Police's Counter Terror Unit (YAMAM), an official designation that comes with both additional responsibilities and funding.

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The decision was based on analysis spearheaded by the National Security Council in recent years, which recommended advancing the issue. To this end, 10 million shekels $3.16 million) will be allocated from the Prime Minister's Office budget in 2022 to bolster the unit, boost its resources, add personnel and improve training, especially weaponry and training infrastructure.

The unit will be made officially responsible for the country's counter-terrorism operations, for the purpose of hostage rescue, particularly dangerous arrest raids and more. Even before this designation, the 47-year-old unit had already assumed the lead on such efforts in Israel and Judea and Samaria.

YAMAM combines a range of unique capabilities and techniques for fighting terrorism and complex criminal incidents. The unit regularly collaborates with Israel's intelligence agencies and other elite units, while its rich experience in the field has made it a world-leader in the area of counter-terrorism operations.

Public Security Minister Omer Barlev, Communications Minister Yoaz Hendel, Religious Services Minister Matan Kahana, Israel Police Inspector-General Yaakov Shabtai, Shin Bet Director Ronen Bar, Border Police Commander Amir Cohen, current YAMAM commander, unit members and their families, and other senior officials attended the ceremony.

"Formalizing the status of the YAMAM as the national counter-terrorism unit is an important force multiplier that will in many ways design the future of the unit for years to come," Bennett said at the ceremony.

"The goal is for the YAMAM to be the best counter-terrorism unit in the world – and you are the right people for the mission," he said. The final decision on the matter will be brought before the security cabinet "soon," the prime minister said.

Defense Minister Benny Gantz said he welcomed the "important" decision.

"Over the years, the unit has developed unique capabilities that have become a very important national resource in the war on terror," he said.

Barlev said: "The declaration… should have been made a long time ago, and we are here to do it – better late than never. The unit is currently at the forefront of the operational activities of the Israel Police, the IDF and the Shin Bet… and is required for the most complex and important actions that are carried out.

"Every year, its members are directly responsible for saving the lives of dozens and hundreds of Israelis, most of whom are not even aware that they were in danger. I thank the Prime Minister for the important decision that will help improve the security of the country's citizens and do great justice by its very nature."

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Israeli startup XTEND, a provider of tactical drones for defense, national security, public safety, and industrial inspection markets, has contracted with the US Department of Defense on a small Unmanned Aircraft System (sUAS) called SKYLORD XTENDER, the company announced Tuesday.

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According to XTNED, its SKYLORD XTENDER provides a "unique, human-centric 'machine interface technology' that enables operators and first responders to remotely intervene in dangerous situations, from a safe distance, via drone by virtually 'sitting inside' the small sUAS."

The technology is designed to reduce human interaction with dangerous environments.

The SKYLORD XTENDER platform allows any operator with little or no flight experience to perform specific remote tasks in complex environments. In addition, the company reports that its sUAS is capable of approaching a target site from any location, performing recon and data collection tasks with extreme accuracy, and seamlessly exit the danger zones, agnostic of any indoor-outdoor transition limitations.

Aviv Shapira, XTEND co-founder and CEO, explained that "Hyper enabled drones are the future of engagement for dangerous situation worldwide. The IDF has recognized XTEND's family of products called SKYLORD as one of the most effective technologies for urban warfare missions, specifically indoor and close-quarters combat.

"The SKYLORD XTENDER is one of our most advanced drone platforms and harnessing it under this initiative will help the US Department of Defense save lives and ensure mission success in any combat scenario," Shapira added.

Company co-founder Matteo Shapira said that the SKYLORD XTENDER platform was "so intuitive" that users could be trained to operate it in under an hour.

"Whether it's a soldier scanning a building for enemy fighters, locating snipers, or providing ISR on a suspected enemy stronghold, our goal in developing this technology was to minimize the danger to human life," Matteo said. "No matter the operator or situation, when you use our extended VR technology, you can rest assured that even the most dangerous missions are as safe as possible."

The US Assistant Secretary of Defense for Special Operations / Low Intensity Conflict (ASD SO/LIC) and Irregular Warfare Technical Support Directorate (IWTSD) has partnered with Israel's Defense Minister and Directorate of Defense Research & Development to contract with XTEND to deliver multiple, tactical sUAS platform prototypes to the tactical units for Operational Testing and Evaluation (OT&E) starting this year.

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