Summary and Key Points: Reuben F. Johnson, Director of Research at the Casimir Pulaski Foundation, evaluates the recently disclosed likely ground operations of the IAF’s Shaldag Unit in Iran.
-Following a letter from Major General Tomer Bar, evidence suggests that these commandos provided the precise, “on-the-ground” intelligence required to locate and kill Ayatollah Ali Khamenei during the initial strikes of Operation Roaring Lion.
Israel’s Merkava IV tank. Image Credit: Creative Commons.
-This report analyzes the synergy between the IAF, Mossad, and ground special forces, noting how target designation and deception operations have allowed Israel to consolidate “total air dominance” over the Islamic Republic as of March 2026.
How the Elite Israel Shaldag Unit is Conducting a Covert Ground War in Iran
London, Royal Wharf – According to an Israeli news report, the country’s Air Force (IAF) chief has written a letter to the service’s regular and reserve personnel stating that “fighters from Air Force’s special units are currently carrying out extraordinary missions that could ignite the imagination.”
According to the same report, the IAF’s commando units seem to be engaged in a covert ground war in Iran.
IAF Commander Major General Tomer Bar released his letter on Wednesday evening to his entire service, revealing that his special operations units are carrying out a series of covert missions to support Operation Roaring Lion in Iran.
Image of Israel’s various missile classes. Image Credit: CSIS.
The IAF leader did not reference specific personnel, but his remarks are being interpreted as indicating that operatives from the IAF elite Shaldag unit are operating on Iranian soil.
The Shaldag (Hebrew for “Kingfisher”) Unit is described as a special forces formation under the command of the IAF; it is considered to be one of the most elite units in the Israel Defense Forces.
Most of its operations are classified, and details of its missions are generally never revealed to the public.
The Shaldag unit was established in 1974 following the Yom Kippur War. At its inception, the unit served as a reserve company under the Sayeret Matkal Commando Brigade. A few years later, it became an operative unit under the direct command of the Israeli Air Force.
Today, this unit is being credited with providing the likely intelligence that allowed the IAF to decapitate the Iranian leadership in the very first hours of military operations.
Identifying The Top Leadership Targets
One of the commonly asked questions was how the IAF knew exactly when and where to strike when it conducted air raids on the compound where Iran’s senior leadership was meeting.
Within 12 hours after the launch of Operation Roaring Lion, officials said the central story was how Israel managed to surprise Iran for the second time in less than a year.
This was all despite months of public discussion about the possibility of war with the Islamic Republic following last June’s 12-day conflict with Iran.
Israeli officials have described the killing of most of Iran’s senior government personnel as a tactical surprise rather than a strategic one. But they have also stated that the raid, which killed Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and dozens of others, “fundamentally shaped the opening phase of the operation.”
According to security officials, the surprise attack was the culmination of “months of intensive intelligence work aimed at mapping patterns of activity among Iran’s senior leadership, identifying routine gatherings and determining when key officials would be least prepared for an attack.”
In the letter that General Bar wrote to the IAF rank-and-file, he stated, “Already in the opening strike we eliminated senior figures in the political and security leadership of the ayatollah regime, foremost among them Iran’s leader, the murderer Ali Khamenei. With the assistance of precise intelligence and some of the most advanced operational capabilities in the world, we flew over Tehran, striking with force the institutions of the Iranian terror regime and its command-and-control headquarters.”
Continuous Disruption
“We continue to target the enemy’s fire arrays, infrastructure and strategic capabilities, with the aim of reducing missile and drone barrages, disrupting their launches toward Israel’s home front and defending our civilians,” Bar’s letter continued. “The intensified pressureis bearing fruit. We are identifying a decline in the scope of fire, cumulative damage to the enemy’s capabilities and increasing erosion of its power. At the same time, our air superiority is consolidating and expanding.”
F-35I Adir. Image Credit: Israeli Air Force.
Bar commended both active-duty and reserve IAF personnel, saying, “I want to salute you for your courage, your daring and your determination to engage in both offense and steadfast defense. Hour by hour you are writing another chapter of heroism in the history of the State of Israel,” he wrote.
“The freedom of action you have achieved is a strategic asset for us all. The citizens of the state place their full trust in us and look to you knowing that the Air Force is a swift, precise and resolute arrow.”
Israel Has Operated Inside Iran Before
At the end of June, IDF Chief of Staff Lieutenant General Eyal Zamir disclosed that ground commando forces — and not just Mossad operatives — had operated covertly in Iran during Israel’s 12-day operation against Iran in June 2025, Operation Rising Lion.
“We achieved full control of the skies over Iran and everywhere we chose to operate. This was made possible, among other things, by joint operations and deception carried out by air forces and ground commando units,” he said.
F-35 for Israel. Image Credit: Creative Commons.
It is assumed that Zamir was referring to special commando forces from elite units that were tasked with target designation and intelligence gathering in enemy territory. These ground forces have also been credited with carrying out numerous deception and diversion operations to support the ability of the IAF to operate more freely.
Their activities came in addition to operations by Mossad on Iranian territory, which were uncharacteristically disclosed after the initial airstrikes of the campaign. A video of a Mossad operational team was shown deploying precision strike systems that are intended to destroy Iranian air defense systems, followed by their destruction using precision missiles smuggled into the Islamic Republic in a covert operation by Israeli intelligence.
About the Author: Reuben F. Johnson
Reuben F. Johnson has thirty-six years of experience analyzing and reporting on foreign weapons systems, defense technologies, and international arms export policy. Johnson is the Director of Research at the Casimir Pulaski Foundation. He is also a survivor of the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. He worked for years in the American defense industry as a foreign technology analyst and later as a consultant for the U.S. Department of Defense, the Departments of the Navy and Air Force, and the governments of the United Kingdom and Australia. In 2022-2023, he won two awards in a row for his defense reporting. He holds a bachelor’s degree from DePauw University and a master’s degree from Miami University in Ohio, specializing in Soviet and Russian studies. He lives in Warsaw.
