IDF deploys Oketz canine unit to assist with rescue efforts at missile impacts

In recent days, amid the conflict with Iran, the IDF’s Oketz canine unit has assisted in rescuing those wounded or trapped under rubble at missile impact locations across the country.

The military says Oketz has deployed a team whose dogs have undergone special training to locate trapped people at impact sites. The team is made up of both male and female handlers.

Additionally, the IDF says the LOTAR counter-terrorism school has dispatched climbing, rappelling, and rescue instructors to missile impact sites to assist with rescue efforts.

The LOTAR team has used drones to scan damaged buildings to provide an accurate picture for Home Front Command search and rescue forces, the army adds.

Home Front Command troops have been operating at several impact sites in recent days, rescuing civilians and recovering bodies from under rubble.

An Oketz dog is seen searching at the scene of a ballistic missile impact in central Israel, in a video published by the IDF on June 16, 2025. (Israel Defense Forces)