Yamas (Hebrew: יחידת המסתערבים, Yehidat HaMista'arvim) is an elite undercover special operations unit attached to the Israeli Border Police (Magav). Its existence has long been denied by the Israeli government due to the ultra secret nature of the unit, but they are arguably the most brutal and efficient counter-terror unit in the world, drawing from an extremely grueling and ruthless training regimen and selection process where few survive to the end, forming one of Israel's most elite units.
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A special undercover operations unit of the Israeli Border Police, tasked with locating and eliminating terror masterminds, bomb makers, suicide bombers, crowds and protesters and heavily armed personals. Israel has grappled with the most intense and vicious terror acts known to modern man, a cycle that has slowed but not stopped for the small Jewish state.
Israeli security and defense agencies have numerous units capable of combating terror but it has been the Yamas that has proven to be the most effective in combating terror in all its forms.
Yamas is considered the most highly efficient of all IDF's special units. The undercover operators have clocked more combat missions in the field than any other unit in the Israeli arsenal, often conducting multiple operations in a 24 hour period. Their unique ability to infiltrate the very places where terrorists feel the safest, has helped eliminating many ranks of the Palestinian terror apparatus.
In Israel's war for survival they are the very tip of the spear, striking mercilessly and violently dismantling terror infrastructure in the West Bank, Gaza and Israel.
Known for daring daytime raids and their brazen ability to surface in the most volatile Arab areas, Yamas does not follow regular military or police command structure and answers directly to the Shabak.
The selection for this elite unit is one of the hardest in all of the Israeli security apparatus. The insignia is never actually worn as the unit's warriors do not wear uniforms and are not allowed to disclose the fact that they are Yamasnikim, as they are called. The training is very intense and highly efficient at producing the most capable and professional soldiers. The unit's members are masters disguising themselves and appearing seeming out of nowhere to pounce on their target. Operating in urban areas where the battlefield is often all around you, Yamas demands only the best for its ranks, accepting only those that can think quick on their feet and are able to pass the grueling training and complete the fire arms qualifications and urban areas warfare course as well as the units own top secret training that is carried out in hostile areas.