It was a face-to-face gun battle. Only a few dozen meters separated combat troops from the "Lotar Eilat" unit and a squad of terrorists armed with Kalashnikov assault rifles, grenades, explosives belts and bombs. We came under fire the minute we arrived at the scene, Lotar Eilat commander Lt. Col. T, related dryly this week, his face expressionless. We didnt know how many terrorists there were, and there was nowhere to hide. It was a matter of luck and professionalism. One soldier moves, while another shoots. The terrorist stood on the Israeli side of the border in civilian attire. He was standing real close to us, and he was shooting in every direction possible. There were no ditches or cars to hide behind. It was just open territory. We tried to get closer, and we aimed for his head. Thats when we killed him. After the initial attack, Lotar was among the first forces to arrive at the scene, where it eliminated three terrorists. It has been five days since the incident, and the lack of sleep is apparent on the face of Lt. Col. T. In addition to the combat, we also need to command the unit and take care of the logistical aspects, he said. That means equipping the soldiers with ammunition, briefing them on their instructions and conducting investigations. Not a day goes by when I dont have a conversation with employers who complain that we called up their workers, who are members of the unit, at exactly the most important time of the year summer vacation, Lt. Col. T. says. I reassure worried families, and I have very personal conversations with soldiers under my command. All of them know that they are first and foremost my subordinates, but they are also my friends. Eilat is a small town, and everybody knows everyone else. My family is also very worried, and they havent seen me for a few days now. My oldest son asked me, Dad, whats going on with the terrorists? Who won- I told him the good guys won, and this is true. The good guys really did win. The Lotar unit comprises solely of reservists who served in elite Israel Defense Forces units during their compulsory tour of duty. They are equipped with beepers and cellular phones, and can be summoned to action at any moment, 24 hours a day. The unit is assisted by conscripts in noncombat capacities, including intelligence, patrol, communications and administration. Lotar Eilat was founded in 1974, but the Israeli public became familiar with it in 1989, when it was called in to deal with a terrorist attack on Kibbutz Lotan in the Arava. A Jordanian terrorist snuck across the border, kidnapped a young girl, and held her hostage in a house over the course of a few hours. Precious time elapsed as military units from the center of the country made their way to the scene, and meanwhile Lotar was called in. They dealt with the matter professionally, taking control of the house, freeing the hostage and killing the terrorist. Just a few days before last Thursdays attack, the Lotar combat troops were summoned to the Edom Formation military base, which serves as the command post of the southern sector whose area of jurisdiction stretches from Eilat northward. The unit was called to the scene after reports of possible infiltration in the southern sector. The Lotar forces linked up with the Utzvat Adom command post, and combed the scene. Shortly afterward, Route 12 was closed to civilian traffic. The various IDF units were assisted by helicopters and light flares were fired toward the mountains of Eilat. A week later, just 12 hours before the terrorist assault on Route 12, the unit soldiers once again sprang into action after receiving reports of possible infiltration in the area. Yamam, the crack anti-terrorist police unit, received the same information, and dozens of troops were deployed to the Eilat region. The working assumption was that terrorists would try to cross into Israel from Egypt, yet nobody conceived of the possibility that they would attack in broad daylight. Captain R., 36, has been serving in Lotar for the past 14 years. He is currently a deputy staff commander within the unit. R. joined Lotar after serving compulsory duty as a combat soldier in an explosives unit in the Nahal Brigade. He chose to join the unit despite the fact that he runs a large business which employs dozens of workers. This year he racked up over 50 days of reserve duty. Two weeks ago, R. was summoned to the unit when it received the first reports of a possible infiltration, and ended up spending the night sleeping in the field. When the second summons came, he was ready. I have army boots and field equipment in my car, and I am always armed with a handgun, he said. Last Thursday, we were on full alert. Just a few minutes passed between the moment that I received the message [that a terror attack was taking place] and the moment I arrived at the base. The extensive activities in the field, the intensive searches, and the state of alert forced R. to lose contact with his family for many hours. I know that the family is worried about us, but when we are in a combat situation, we have to shift gears, he said. In the evening, my wife sent me a text message asking me to signal to her that Im alive, so I messaged her back, telling her that everything was alright. Obviously I need to be in the field in order to protect all of us. Staff Sgt. A., 32, was on his way to do some shopping with his mother. When the beeper signaled that something was up, he told his mother to get out of their car, leaving her on the side of the road. I told her that Im going to the unit, and that she needed to get out of the car, he said. She didnt have a choice. I drove very fast while putting on my army uniform, strapping my boots, and putting on my bulletproof vest. Im certain that it is because of its ability to save lives this that the unit is in existence. We prevented the situation from becoming more tragic. A.s relatives know exactly what he does, and what role he fulfills in the field. His older brother was a Yamam combat officer and his younger brother is an ambulance driver in Eilat who was also summoned to the scene during the attack in order to help evacuate the wounded. A. is the youngest of the Lotar combat troops. He was also the one who killed one of the terrorists from close range. He completed his army service in the Givati infantry brigade. As a conscript, he dreamed of one day serving in Lotar. After his discharge, he applied to the unit, and was accepted. He was quickly promoted to the job of deputy staff commander. N., 41, is also a unit officer. He was vacationing with his family in the center of the country when he was alerted. That was when he dropped his children off at his in-laws and flew down to Eilat. N., a veteran of the force, joined Lotar after his service in one of the militarys elite units. Since the incident, he was stayed at the units top base, ready to be deployed at a moments notice. He maintains close contact with T., the unit commander. I met him when I was a company commander in Givati, he said. After the kidnapping of Nachshon Wachsman [an IDF soldier kidnapped by Hamas in 1994 and killed in a failed rescue attempt] , we decided to expand the unit and form a staff that would be in charge of negotiations as well as to enlist combat troops from the Eilat area. T. is an engineering man, and he is considered very professional. We enlisted him, and since then he has moved up. Today, he is the commander of the unit.
The real 24: An inside look at an elite IDF anti-terror unit
Staff Sgt. A. was shopping with his mother. When the beeper signaled something was up, he left her on the side of the road, and joined his colleagues from the Lotar counterterrorism unit • The units soldiers recall the terror attacks near Eilat.
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