Golani Reconnaissance battalion training
Golani Reconnaissance battalion trainingIDF Spokespersons Unit

The elite Golani Reconnaissance battalion has been wrapping up a major training exercise to prepare for the next war against the Iranian-backed Hezbollah terror group.

During the maneuvers the soldiers trained for various scenarios, including night fighting, dealing with sudden changes during warfare, overcoming artillery fire and using the Golani Brigade's Namer Armored Personnel Carrier.

The Reconnaissance Battalion is the Golani brigade's special forces wing. It is composed of three companies, such as a demolitions company, and anti-tank team, and a company tasked with reconnaissance missions and navigation. Their training program is 16 months long - twice the normal eight-month course that regular Golani soldiers undergo - and participating soldiers must first pass a punishing five-day tryout called a "Gibush".

The battalion-wide drill took place over five days and was divided into different scenarios. The soldiers shuttled between different mock battlefields in the Galilee and the Golan Heights.

Battalion Commander Lt. Col. Shimon Siso told Arutz Sheva that "the main objective of the exercise was to prepare the forces for a scenario of war. It included professional, intensive and very challenging activities, such as operating on Mount Hermon. All the rain, cold, and fog could not stop the unit from carrying out its mission and carrying out the exercise successfully."

Golani soldiers during training
Golani soldiers during trainingIDF spokesperson