The blue door opened, and a senior officer declared a moratorium on leave. A., then a young intelligence analyst in charge of the Syrian theater, was just about to go home on a 72-hour leave after 11 days on base, in accordance with the usual military leave regulations.
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"A few hours later I was sitting at a briefing, and I was shocked by what was about to happen. If the people of Israel had been aware of what was going on, they would have said – wow," he tells Israel Hayom.
Now A. is 36, serving as a major in Intelligence Unit 8200 and in charge of recruiting Druze to the unit. "I stayed on base for another two weeks, then went home for 48 hours for a change of clothes, then stayed another two weeks. All in all, I spent six weeks on base, and I did it happily. When you're busy doing such meaningful things, everything else pales in comparison."
What exactly was being done that required him to such devotion? A. can't say exactly. He just describes, with shining eyes: "It's something that has an influence on Israel to this day. It's a terrible threat that could have materialized. I can't describe in words the feeling of satisfaction you get when you achieve a strategic hit against an enemy."
He grew up in a Druze village in the north, the youngest son in the family. His older brother served in the Armored Corps; A. ended up in the Intelligence Corps by chance.
"I got a phone call telling me I was placed in Intelligence. I had no idea what that meant," he says.
In 2003, together with four other young Druze, A. was recruited to the unit responsible for collecting intelligence and deciphering codes – a unit he had never heard of. "We were pioneers. Until then, Druze hadn't been involved in the heart of intelligence work. They'd be recruited to serve on a designated base in the north, which has closed in the meantime."
During boot camp and in his first period at the unit, when he was asked his name he would alter the pronunciation so it wouldn't sound Druze. Today, he pronounces his name proudly, using the correct Arabic pronunciation. "It took me a while to take pride in being Druze. That happened after I realized how indispensable I was to the unit. Suddenly people are coming to your room when you're not on shift and asking you for help.
"You realize that if it isn't you, there's no one else. Others in the unit trust you, they ask for your opinion. That's not something I was familiar with in the culture in which I grew up. At the unit they ask you to instruct, train, develop a plan, correct someone else. When was I ever treated like that before?"
In addition to discovering his hidden talents, A. also improved his Hebrew. If at first he would think in Arabic, translate it to Hebrew mentally, and hesitate before opening his mouth to speak, today he speaks fluently and confidently and his Hebrew his eloquent. While serving, he completed a BA and an MA in political science, married a girl from his village, and together they're raising twins, now seven years old.
Nine years ago, he left the on-the-ground intelligence work and took on a new role: scouting, recruiting, and selecting Druze for the unit and mentoring them. When I ask if after accomplishing the "nuclear reactor" mission in Syria he decided to find other challenges, he smiles involuntarily, but doesn't answer the first part of the question.
"My goal is for every young Druze to hear about 8200 before enlisting, so he doesn't end up there by chance, like I did. Succeeding in that is just as satisfying as cracking any code."
Over the years, A. developed a wide network of contacts in the Druze community, and today he is often approached by young Druze about to be drafted and their parents. His name is whispered in admiration and his mobile phone number is passed around as a safe contact for consultation and assistance before joining the army.
He delivers lectures at Druze high schools, teaching youth about the advantages of serving in the unit, responds to youngsters who call him up even late at night, and is well-acquainted with school principals and parents of students. He also works to maintain good relations between the community's leaders and the unit's commanders.
Once a year, on the Muslim Feast of the Sacrifice (Eid al-Adha), the commander of Unit 8200 visits Sheikh Muafak Tarif, leader of the Druze community. Next, the commander visits the home of one of the unit's Druze soldiers, whom he awards a certificate of excellence. Thanks to A.'s intensive activity, within a decade the number of Druze serving in 8200 has doubled. For this achievement, he recently received an award from the Chief of Military Intelligence.
A. continues to accompany the young soldiers throughout their service in the unit, as deputy commander in charge of all the Druze soldiers. They go to him with any problem, seeing him as a kind of father figure. "I listen to them, understand their difficulties and try to push them forward, to study, to complete a BA and an MA as the unit encourages them to do, to go on to serve as officers and in more senior positions.
"Today, the most senior rank any Druze holds in the unit is major, like me. My dream is to see the youngsters I recruited overtake me. There's nothing that would give me greater satisfaction. A few years ago, I went to shop for groceries at a fruit market in one of the villages. At one of the stands, the seller was a teen who recognized me, like a lot of Druze recognize me on the street.
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"He said he was interested in the Intelligence Corps and we exchanged phone numbers. He passed the selection process and today he's career army, soon to complete an MA. He's one of the most devoted soldiers in the unit and he makes a major contribution to the state. The boy who once sold fruit in the market now has a toolbox that will help him support a family and succeed in civilian life. I believe a day will come when 8200 will have a Druze commander."
The advantage of a young Druze in the intelligence arena is not just that Arabic is his mother tongue, but that he understands all the region's different dialects. "Every young Druze knows the Syrian, Lebanese, Palestinian, and Egyptian dialects, because we watch TV series from those countries."
A. describes the problems young Druze face in the unit. He says that alongside linguistic and cultural misunderstandings, the distance of the bases from home is a challenge. "Some of the intelligence bases are located at the far away in the south, and some of the Druze villages are far away in the north. It isn't easy travelling four hours in each direction.
"The unit tries to help with rides and make it easier for soldiers serving far from home. The vast majority of young Druze don't leave their villages. I can't even imagine leaving, either."
Another difficulty is that soldiers in the unit are sworn to secrecy and can't share the details of their work with friends and family members. "Everyone wants to brag and show off what a hero he is, but in this unit you have to keep your mouth shut. There were many times when I sat with family or friends who were analyzing the situation in the Middle East, and sometimes the conversation is about classified events that were published abroad. You sit there, staring or looking at your phone and you can't voice an opinion. You can't confirm, you can't smile."
Q: But when I asked you about a reactor in Syria you smiled.
"I smiled? No, I didn't. I smiled because it wasn't true," he elegantly sidesteps the question.
One of the things A. says he discovered in the unit was the culture of reading. He was in command of 30 soldiers, and he noticed that between shifts, they would all read books. "I realized they were so talented and successful because they read, and I started reading too. That curiosity that leads you to investigate things, to never take things for granted, is a very important asset that I was less familiar with growing up, and is very characteristic of the unit."
A. shows off his very well-developed back for the camera. Not the kind of muscles you would expect from the typical 8200 nerd. A. laughs, but explains that he began researching sports and nutrition – thanks to the curiosity he acquired in the unit. He gets up at 5 a.m. for an hour of crossfit exercise, then usually works out again for another hour in the evening.
When he retires from the army ("a very, very long time from now, as far as I'm concerned I can stay in this position forever") he dreams of becoming a school principal, or doing some other job working with young Druze. "The satisfaction in this field is immense. It isn't always easy. During the period when the youngsters are getting their test results – I'm under a lot of stress. The ones who don't pass the selection process, I go on helping them find other units in the army. I explain that no one is better than anyone else, but that everyone has something special to contribute and needs to find the right place for themselves."
