Dressed in white suits and trekking over mountain tops the soldiers seem far removed from the Middle East conflict.
The frozen setting appears more akin to Arctic warfare but, in fact, the specialist Israeli troops were deployed on the mountainous Syria-Lebanon border.
Israel’s elite snow warriors were seen for the first time last night after a mission to thwart terrorist attempts to seize territory.
The ‘Alpinists’ used their expertise in rugged landscapes and conducting covert operations in plunging temperatures.
The little-known Special Forces unit crossed on foot through deep snow from Mount Hermon in Syria to the Mount Dov area of southern Lebanon.
The slopes were so steep they could have been mistaken for Hollywood actors approaching the Bavarian Nazi fortress in Where Eagles Dare.
The Alpinists’ reconnaissance mission required the specific skills that set their unit apart from the Israeli Defence Forces.
They also donned skis and accelerated their passage through what the IDF described as ‘complex mountain terrain’.
For weeks, Israeli forces have been engaged in clashes with Iranian-backed Hezbollah guerillas in the area. But the terrorists cannot match the Alpinists’ advanced techniques in winter conditions.
Mount Hermon straddles the Syrian-Lebanese border and was seized by the Israelis in December 2024 following the downfall of dictator Bashar al-Assad’s regime.
Israel maintains military bases inside Syria, a presence the government in Jerusalem insists is essential to intercept weapons deliveries.
Controversially, Israel is seeking to establish a forward defensive line through southern Lebanon to protect its communities on the other side of the border.
Israel considers Mount Hermon a strategic asset. The peaks have been christened the ‘eyes of the country’ and are key to protecting the sate from terrorist attacks launched in Syria and Lebanon.
The Alpinist Unit consists of hundreds of reservists specialising in combat and training in harsh winter environments. According to the IDF they use specialist equipment, including snowmobiles, and spend months training for covert deployments.
On Monday, the IDF said: ‘The targeted operation was carried out in response to ongoing attempts by terrorist organisations to entrench themselves in the border area.
‘Moving through deep snow and in extreme conditions, the specialist mountain commandos conducted a precise sweep from the Hermon ridge to Mount Dov.
‘The successful execution of this cross-border manoeuvre underscores the strategic importance of the region and the IDF’s determination to deny terrorist organisations any operational foothold.’
Pictures released by the IDF, some during daylight operations, others at night as seen through optical devices, captured the troops fighting the conditions as much as their enemies.
They were up to their waists in snow as they scaled a steep hill on a mission, described by the IDF, as intended to ‘scan the area, collect intelligence and to locate enemy terror infrastructure in the area’.
Mount Hermon stands over 9,000ft tall and provides commanding views of surrounding territory.
The Alpinists are under the command of the IDF’s 810th Brigade. When not launching penetrating raids into contested areas, they maintain a defensive posture to protect Israeli civilians.
The raid came as the joint US-Israeli campaign against Iran and its proxies entered its fifth week with no military or diplomatic resolution in sight. With US President Donald Trump expected to sanction ground operations for US troops, an end to the fighting appears far off.
Any US ground incursion onto Iranian soil would expand the war significantly and would likely be accompanied by further Israeli infiltration into Lebanese and Syrian territory, with the reservists of the Alpinist Unit pitted against Hezbollah.
