Israel female officer to head Intel efforts against Iran

TEL AVIV (Agencies): In another first for women’s military service in Israel, deputy commander of the IDF’s 9900th Unit, Lt. Col. R., has been appointed head of the Military Intelligence unit monitoring Iran, becoming the first woman to hold the position.

In her new role, R. will oversee the intelligence-gathering aspect of operations against what the military defines as third-circle enemy states, including Iran. R., 37, a married mother of two, came up through the ranks of Military Intelligence. She started her service in 2002, decrypting aerial images, then completed officers training and served in a number of roles in the IDF’s 9900th Unit, which is responsible for image analysis and creating maps from encrypted images.

“I’m excited and proud to be the first woman to serve in a job so important to the security of Israel, a role that requires responsibility, the ability to cooperate, and make the proper operational decisions in such a complicated arena,” R. said after her appointment was announced.