In memory of Sgt. Alfred Axelrod, may his memory be blessed, who was the eyes of the state on Mount Hermon

53 years after the Yom Kippur War, the story of Sgt. Alfred (Freddy) Axelrod, a brilliant intelligence soldier in Unit 848, reveals the cost of intelligence blindness and command failure. Axelrod, who was supposed to serve in the rear due to medical issues and being an only child to Holocaust survivor parents, was stationed at the isolated and vulnerable Mount Hermon outpost. The high-quality intelligence he gathered on Syrian anti-aircraft batteries flowed but was not internalized by the Air Force. On October 6, 1973, the outpost was captured, and Axelrod fell in battle on the second day of the war.

53 years after the Yom Kippur War, the story of Sgt. Alfred (Freddy) Axelrod reveals the cost of intelligence blindness and command failure. Axelrod, a brilliant intelligence soldier in Unit 848, had exceptional skills in operating unique location systems that tracked Syrian and Egyptian SA-6 anti-aircraft batteries. The information he gathered was of strategic importance, but the Air Force, the main consumer, ignored it and relied on reconnaissance sorties that proved erroneous. Axelrod, an only child to Holocaust survivor parents and suffering from medical issues, was not supposed to serve in a forward outpost. He arrived at Mount Hermon due to abusive treatment at his base in Sinai and his request to move to central Israel. On October 6, 1973, the outpost was captured by Syrian commandos, and Axelrod was shot and fell on the second day of the war. The intelligence complex at the outpost is named after him, "Alfred," in recognition of his work.