Special Forces in the Arab and Israeli ArmiesThe special forces of the Arab armies were constructed and operated according to Soviet doctrine, which had a crucial influence on the armies of Egypt and Syria in the years prior to the Yom Kippur War. In Soviet military doctrine these forces had two main tasks: the first was based on their being inherently élite infantry forces and as such intended to reinforce combat units at the tactical level. The second task was based on their being a force trained for operations in the enemy’s operational and strategic depth through: striking corps and division command, control and communications (C3), fires, logistics, and transportation hubs. Other roles were to disrupt and delay the arrival of enemy reinforcements and reserves to the front and supporting the tactical and operational missions of the forces in immediate contact with the enemy.2