Special to WorldTribune.com

TEL AVIV — Israel’s military plans to form a long-range strike command.

The military said the new unit would be commanded by a major general and help direct operations far from Israel’s borders.

The commander was identified as Shai Avital, who headed the Army’s elite General Reconnaissance Unit and returned to the military after an absence of nine years. Avital has been regarded as close to Defense Minister Ehud Barak.

“The primary task of the corps will be to extend joint Israel Defense Forces operations into the strategic depth,” the military said.

On Dec. 15, the military announced the unit, meant to combine naval, air and ground assets for long-range missions, Middle East Newsline reported. Officials said the unit, meant to resemble the U.S. Special Operation Command, would help plan and coordinate interservice operations meant to counter Iran, Hizbullah, weapons smuggling to Lebanon as well as the Gaza Strip.

The announcement was the latest in an Israeli effort to project deterrence toward Iran and Syria. So far, most of the efforts by Israel’s military to prepare for an attack on Iran were limited to the Air Force, with a fleet of long-range F-15 and F-16I fighter-jets.

Officials said the new unit, called Deep Corps, has been the subject of discussion for months. They said Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Benny Gantz approved a study that envisioned the merger of special forces capabilities — but not personnel — into one unit.

The corps was meant to contain no more than 100 members and would be responsible for operations more than 100 kilometers from Israel. The military already has a unit that specializes in long-range ground operations
commanded by Brig. Gen. Gil Tamir. But the unit, established in the 1980s, has been rarely used in recent years.

“This [new unit] would be small and focus mostly on coordinating the various elite units,” an official said.

  Ehud Barak, Israel Defense Forces, Israeli military announces new unit for long-range strikes, Lt. Gen. Benny Gantz, Shai Avital