Unit 9900
| Unit 9900 | |
|---|---|
| יחידה 9900 | |
 | |
| Active | 1997 - Present[1][2] |
| Country | Israel |
| Branch | Military Intelligence Directorate (Israel) |
| Role | Geospatial intelligence |
| Engagements | |
| Decorations | Israel Defense Prize (2022)[3] |
| Commanders | |
| Current commander | Brigadier General S.[4] |
| (2019-2023) | Brigadier General Erez Eskal[4] |
Unit 9900 (formerly Unit 9700) is a division within the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), operating under the Intelligence Directorate. Its mission is to collect visual and geospatial intelligence for the IDF and other security forces.[5] The unit is known for recruiting autistic soldiers specifically.[6] Unit members are often otherwise exempted from military service and sign up via the Ro'im Rachok program or similar.[7][8]
History
In 2020 it was reported that 58% of the unit's members were women. It was also reported that the unit was using civilian drones as part of a new drone unit within unit 9900, as well as artificial intelligence.[9]
In 2022, the unit was involved in Operation Breaking Dawn.[8]
In 2024, the unit was involved in operations against Hezbollah, analysing "terabytes of data" to identify operatives.[10]
In 2025, the unit was instrumental in Operation Roaring Lion, the IDF's strikes on Iran. They directed Israel's intelligence satellites to obtain images of Iran's facilities and anti-air defence systems.[11]
References
- ↑ בליזובסקי, אבי (2009-02-08). "חשיפה ראשונה של יחידת הלווינים של אמ"ן". הידען - Hayadan (in Hebrew). Retrieved 2025-09-03.
- ↑ "תיעוד מיוחד מלמעלה של חזרות טקס הדלקת המשואות". www.idf.il (in Hebrew). Retrieved 2025-09-03.
- ↑ אייכנר, איתמר; אלבז-אלוש, קורין (2022-06-14). "פרס ביטחון ישראל ללווייני אופק ופרויקטים במוסד ובצה"ל". Ynet (in Hebrew). Retrieved 2025-09-03.
- 1 2 דומבה, עמי רוחקס (2023-08-21). "חילופי פיקוד ביחידה 9900 | Israel Defense". www.israeldefense.co.il (in Hebrew). Retrieved 2025-09-03.
- ↑ "Meet the unit behind the scenes of the IDF's precision warfare". The Jerusalem Post. 2020-07-02. ISSN 0792-822X. Retrieved 2025-02-23.
- ↑ Rubin, Shira (2016-01-06). "The Israeli Army Unit That Recruits Teens With Autism". The Atlantic. Retrieved 2025-09-03.
- ↑ Lappin, Yaakov (2018-05-04). "The IDF's Unit 9900: 'Seeing' their service come to fruition". JNS.org. Retrieved 2025-09-03.
- 1 2 Nelken-Zitser, Joshua. "Most armies ignore autistic people. Israel is calling them up". Business Insider. Retrieved 2025-09-03.
- ↑ "Meet the unit behind the scenes of the IDF's precision warfare". The Jerusalem Post. 2020-07-02. ISSN 0792-822X. Retrieved 2025-09-03.
- ↑ Srivastava, Mehul; Shotter, James; Clover, Charles; Jalabi, Raya (2024-09-29). "How Israeli spies penetrated Hizbollah". FT. Retrieved 2025-09-03.
- ↑ Fleming, Eliana (2025-07-20). "Eyes in the Sky: Meet the IDF Unit Tracking Iran From Space". JFeed. Retrieved 2025-09-03.
External links
 | This Israel-related article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by adding missing information. |