A female soldier has become the first woman to complete training for the General Staff Reconnaissance Unit (Sayeret Matkal) commando unit, the Israel Defense Forces announced on Thursday.
“The IDF congratulates the soldier on her significant and groundbreaking achievement,” the military said in a statement.
Sayeret Matkal is the military’s premier special operations unit, specializing in highly classified intelligence-gathering and covert missions. Formed in 1957, it conducts strategic operations deep behind enemy lines, often in hostile or denied territory, and is one of the IDF’s most elite and selective combat formations.
The achievement follows a pilot program launched in December 2024 allowing women to undergo selection and training in the unit.
According to the IDF, the soldier passed preliminary screening, met all required criteria, and completed a training course lasting more than 18 months. The program was described as equivalent in scope and intensity to the standard male training track, with limited adjustments based on individual requirements and operational standards.
Her future placement within Sayeret Matkal has not yet been determined. The IDF said integration into operational activity will depend on “operational needs” and will be carried out in accordance with the military’s Joint Service Ordinance, which governs the service of men and women in mixed-gender units.
A summary of the pilot phase will be presented to the General Staff in the coming period, as senior commanders assess whether to expand female participation in additional special operations roles.
Military roles expanding
“At this time, maximizing the service potential of male and female soldiers from all sectors and populations is an imperative, and the IDF will continue to work toward this goal,” the military added.
Women already serve in a range of combat positions across the IDF, and the military has recently expanded pilot programs in other elite units. A separate trial integrating women into the Combat Engineering Corps’ Yahalom special forces unit was recently deemed successful, while another pilot is underway for the elite search-and-rescue Unit 669 of the Israeli Air Force. A planned trial for Armored Corps integration has been delayed.
The Air Force and air defense units include a significant proportion of female personnel. In the Israeli Air Force, women account for about half of those serving in the Air Defense Array, a unit central to intercepting incoming missile threats. The IDF said approximately 5,000 female reservists are currently serving in the Air Force during “Operation Roaring Lion,” while around 130 female aircrew combat personnel are taking part in operational missions.
The Israeli Navy also reported a significant presence of female personnel during the conflict. About 25 female commanders who graduated from the naval officers course are currently engaged in operations, alongside approximately 130 female naval combat sailors serving aboard missile ships. According to the military, about 40% of personnel involved in intelligence, planning, command and fire direction roles in the navy are women.
Women are also serving in large numbers in technological units. In the C4I and Cyber Defense Directorate, the IDF said more than 40% of the combat soldiers in the Electronic Warfare Battalion of the Sapir Brigade are women.
Sayeret Matkal has remained one of the last elite combat units without female personnel. Another high-profile special forces unit, Shayetet 13 (Flotilla 13)— a naval commando unit often compared to the U.S. Navy SEALs—still does not include women in operational roles.
The IDF emphasized that the success of the pilot program will be reviewed at senior command level before any broader policy decisions are made.
