In first, IDF says female officer to command Navy missile boat

A female naval officer will command one of the Israeli Navy’s missile boats for the first time, the military says.

Lieutenant Commander “Resh” — identified only by her rank and first initial in Hebrew — will assume command over one of the Missile Ship Fleet’s Sa’ar 4.5-class missile boats in a handover ceremony tomorrow.

The military says the move “constitutes a significant milestone in the operational and command activity” of the Navy, and “reflects the commitment to excellence, professionalism, and equal opportunity” in the IDF.

The missile boat that Resh will command participated in several “complex” operations in recent years, the IDF says, including a large-scale operation to destroy the former Syrian regime’s naval fleet in December 2024, the elimination of top Hamas official Ismail Barhoum in March 2025, and the killing of a top commander in Hezbollah’s aerial forces in November 2024, as well as the interception of aerial threats.

Resh joined the military in 2016 as a naval cadet and has served in several roles in the Navy, including deputy commander of a missile boat and commander of a Dvora-class patrol boat in the 916th Patrol Squadron.

The IDF’s announcement comes amid recent calls by religious activists against the military’s plans to integrate women into more combat roles. The IDF had said it urgently needs more recruits due to the strain on standing and reserve forces caused by the war against Hamas in Gaza and other military challenges.