The Merkava is a series of main battle tanks (MBT) used by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) and the backbone of the IDF's Armored Corps. Current iterations of this tank are considered broadly equivalent to the capabilities of the M1 Abrams, Leopard 2 and the Challenger 2. The current iteration of this vehicle also shares the same MTU EuroPowerPack powerplant as a number of other MBT platforms.
The history of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) intertwines in its early stages with history of the Haganah.
The 1st "Golani" Brigade is an Israeli military infantry brigade. It is subordinated to the 36th Division and traditionally associated with the Northern Command. It is one of the five infantry brigades of the regular Israel Defense Forces (IDF), the others being the Paratroopers Brigade, the Nahal Brigade, the Givati Brigade and the Kfir Brigade. Its symbol is a green olive tree against a yellow background, with its soldiers wearing a brown beret. It is one of the most highly decorated infantry units in the IDF. The brigade consists of five battalions, including two which it kept from its inception, one transferred from the Givati Brigade (51st).
The 35th "Paratroopers" Brigade is an Israeli military airborne infantry brigade. It forms a major part of the Israeli Ground Forces' Infantry Corps, and has a history of carrying out special operations from the 1950s onwards. Soldiers of the brigade wear maroon berets with the Infantry Corps pin and russet boots.
The Israeli Combat Engineering Corps is the combat engineering forces of the Israel Defense Forces.
The 401st "Iron Tracks" Brigade is an Armored Brigade in the 162nd Division of the Israeli Defence Forces (IDF).
The Northern Command is a regional command in the Israel Defense Forces. The command, whose main headquarters is in Safed, is responsible for all the units located between Hermon and Netanya. The mission of the Northern Command is to protect Israel's northern borders with Syria and Lebanon.
The 7th "Saar me-Golan" Armored Brigade is a military formation of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF). Formed during the 1948 Arab–Israeli War, and still in operation, it is the oldest armored brigade in the IDF. Since then, the brigade has taken part in all the IDF's main operations, and stands today as one of 3 main armoured brigades of the IDF.
The 8th Armored Brigade is an Israeli Defense Forces reserve armored brigade assigned to the 91st Division. It was the Israel Defense Forces' first armoured brigade which possessed tanks, jeeps and armoured personnel carriers (APCs), whereas all other IDF units at the time were entirely infantry-based.
The Israeli Armored Corps is a corps of the Israel Defense Forces that, since 1998, has been subordinate to GOC Army Headquarters. The Armored Corps is the principal maneuvering corps, and primarily bases its strength on main battle tanks.
The 36th Division "Ga'ash", also known as the Ga'ash Formation ("Rage"), is a regular-service division of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF). It is subordinate to Northern Command.
Zvi Greengold is a former Israel Defense Forces (IDF) officer who fought during the 1973 Yom Kippur War as a tank commander. He is one of only eight people who fought in the war to be awarded the Medal of Valor, the nation's highest medal for heroism. He is a former mayor of Ofakim.
Sho't is the Israeli designation of the 105mm L7 armed modified Centurion tank, which entered Israeli service in the 1960's.
The Valley of Tears is the name given to an area in the Golan Heights after it became the site of a major battle in the 1973 Yom Kippur War, known as the Valley of Tears Battle, which was fought from 6 October to 9 October. Although massively outnumbered, the Israeli forces managed to hold their positions and on the fourth day of the battle the Syrians withdrew, just as the Israeli defences were almost at the point of collapse.
The Israeli 460th Armoured "Bnei Or" Brigade is the training formation subordinate to the 80th Division of the Southern Command located in Shizafon base.
Namer, means "leopard" and also a syllabic abbreviation of "Nagmash" (APC) and "Merkava", is an Israeli armoured personnel carrier based on a Merkava Mark IV tank chassis. Namer was developed by and is being assembled by the Israeli Ordnance Corps. It has entered service in limited numbers with the Israel Defense Forces since the end of 2008. Due to budgetary constraints, the introduction of the Namer into the IDF has been slow, leaving the ground forces dependent on the M113 until 2027.
The 1st Armoured Division is an armored division of the Syrian Arab Army. It was established in 1970 and is part of the 2nd Corps. The 1st Division is the largest formation of the Syrian Arab Army.
This article deals with the history and development of tanks of the Israeli Army, from their first use after World War II in the establishment of the State of Israel after the end of the British Mandate, and into the Cold War and what today is considered the modern era.
Yoram Shmuel Yair is an Israeli retired soldier who served in the IDF for 35 years until his release with the rank of major general, in 1998. After his release, he volunteers in the social, educational and business fields. He serves as chairman and strategic advisor of several companies in Israel and abroad, and as chairman of "Yahad – United for Israel's Soldiers", chairman of the association "After Me!" and chairman of an association that operates drug and alcohol rehab villages. Yair built and heads the Rabin Leadership Program at the IDC Herzliya.
Israel 
Israel Defense Forces 
