Bahad

Bahad (Hebrew: בה"ד‎, short for Bsis Hadrakha (Hebrew: בסיס הדרכה‎), lit. Training base) is a military training base in the Israel Defense Forces. Each Bahad deals with a certain field, such as law enforcement or logistics. Generally, each Bahad belongs to a certain corps and conducts all courses required by the corps in question. Some training bases also train the new recruits of the corps.

The Israel Defense Forces also has several Bahads which don't belong to any particular corps and exist for the sole purpose of training new recruits. They are called recruit training bases, or Batars (Hebrew: בט"ר‎, short for Bsis Tironut (Hebrew: בסיס טירונות‎)).

Most Bahads are located in Camp Yadin (Tzrifin), although several are not. Notably, Bahad 1, the well-known school for officers, is located in the south of the country. Plans exist to make a new base near Beersheba and Ramat Hovav to contain all the training bases (unofficially termed Ir HaBahadim - city of training bases), because Tzrifin has a high land value and is gradually being sold to civilian contractors.

Bahad 4

Bahad 4 (Hebrew: בה"ד 4‎), commonly known as Batar Zikim (בט"ר זיקים, lit. Zikim Training Base) is a training base (Bahad) belonging to the Israel Defense Forces.

Zikim is located 8 km south of Ashkelon. It was named after the nearby kibbutz Zikim.

The majority of new recruits in Zikim pass the Rifleman 02 recruit training (tironut) which has all but replaced the older 00 level that was usually reserved for non-combat woman recruits.

History

Bahad 4 was founded in 1949 as the main IDF recruit training base, for all types of recruits (combat and non-combat). It was originally located in Tzrifin, but after the Six-Day War it was moved to the Beit El base in the newly captured West Bank. After the Interim Agreement on the West Bank and the Gaza Strip signed in 1995, the base was moved to Zikim.

Qassam fire, evacuation and return

Bahad 4 is one of the few Israeli military bases located within range of Qassam rockets fired from the Gaza Strip, and has endured numerous barrages. On September 11, 2007, a Qassam rocket hit an empty tent, causing injuries to soldiers in neighboring tents. Four soldiers were seriously wounded and a further 63 were treated for moderate to light wounds and shock. Following the incident, pressure was put on the IDF by parents to stop training recruits at the base.

Bahad 16

Bahad 16 (lit: Education Base 16) is a training base (Bahad) belonging to the Israel Defense Forces (IDF). Located in the Tzrifin container base, it is the training base and a base of operations for the IDF Home Front Command Search and Rescue (SAR) unit. Because it is the only SAR training base, Bahad 16 is synonymous with the SAR unit itself.

This unit should not be confused with Unit 669. Bahad 16 is a domestic search and rescue unit, primarily operating in times of natural disasters, while Unit 669 is the Israeli Air Force's Tactical Combat Search and Rescue (CSAR) unit that operates behind enemy lines.

History

IDF Home Front Command Search and Rescue unit was a re-organization of HaGaHa, the Israeli civil defense force. It was created in February 1992 following the Gulf War, which, as the most threatening war to Israel's homeland since the 1948 Arab-Israeli War, led to a perceived need for more security beyond the border.

Purpose

The SAR unit serves as a ready unit for natural disasters (such as earthquakes and floods), for civil disasters (such as the Versailles wedding hall disaster), and for response to deliberate military or para-military attacks (such as with Katyusha, Grad or Scud rockets or with IEDs).