Commander Says New Reserve Battalion Helped Disrupt Terror Networks in Binyamin
Lt. Col. A., commander of the reserve battalion "Cherev Shaul" in Brigade 205, says the unit has helped thwart terrorism by using concentrated force on the ground. In a special interview, he described how the battalion, formed in the past year and a half under Division 96 as one of the army’s rapid-response reserve brigades, has operated intensively across several sectors.
The battalion was created to provide quick reaction capability in the Beit She'an, Afula, Emek HaMaayanot and Ta'anakh areas. During its first year, it carried out complex operational duty in the Binyamin area, was sent to the eastern front during Operation "Shagat HaAri," and also operated in the Menashe area. A. said the fight in Binyamin changed significantly after the operation began, with the brigade shifting to active defense and offensive protection designed to get ahead of threats and dismantle terror infrastructure before attacks could be launched.
He said added reinforcements allowed commanders to implement those plans on a much larger scale and on the army’s own initiative. As an example, he cited a stone-throwing attack on Route 443, after which the brigade entered all six villages overlooking the road at the same time and remained there for 72 hours until suspects were detained and weapons were found. He also described a serious incident at a checkpoint where two attackers tried to carry out an assault, one was killed and the other was neutralized without Israeli casualties.
A. said the larger force changes the way the army operates, allowing prolonged presence inside villages rather than relying only on patrols along main roads. "We are inside the villages as much as possible, not defending from the road itself but from the enemy’s area," he said. Despite repeated reserve call-ups, he said morale remains high because the soldiers understand the moment and want to keep working. He added that the battalion’s most emotional milestone came during its formation march, when troops carried stretchers through the region and finished with families waiting at Ketaf Shaul for a combat ceremony overlooking the valley, a model later copied by other division battalions.
