LOTAR




The LOTAR Unit stands for: Lochama Be'Te'rror, meaning "Combating Terrorism." It is also known as Unit 707 or The Counter-Terror School'.
It is tasked primarily with training other IDF units in the areas of anti-irregular military in insurgency areas, counterterrorism and hostage rescue crisis management, tactical intelligence gathering, the use of sniper rifles, and various small-scale and short-range warfare scenarios. It also, to a lesser degree, performs these tasks itself. Furthermore the unit has taken on several other responsibilities including the theories of camouflage, the training of special soldiers called "monkeys", and several other training scenarios. Meanwhile if really necessary unit's personnel must carry out military special operations according to assigned missions. Most of them focus on commando style raids, counterterrorism, covert operation, hostage rescue, irregular warfare, tactical intelligence gathering, and tracking high-value targets.
The LOTAR School is housed inside of Mitkan Adam, alongside the Oketz Unit and the Oz Brigade, southeast of Tel Aviv within the Hevel Modi'in Regional Council.

History

The unit was founded by its first Commander, Amos Kotzer, in 1974. It was created, along with Yamam, a unit in the Israel Border Police, primarily in response to the Ma'alot massacre, where a failed rescue operation by Sayeret Matkal resulted in the deaths of 25 hostages, including 21 children, before the hostage takers were killed.