The Ninth Battalion of the Armored Brigade was an Israeli military unit that operated during the 1948 war. It took part in fighting on the southern front, particularly in the area surrounding ‘Iraq Suwaydan and the Faluja Pocket.
On 9 November 1948, the battalion participated in the major assault on the fortified police station at ‘Iraq Suwaydan, which had remained under Egyptian control despite several earlier Israeli attempts to capture it. The battalion succeeded in storming and occupying the fortress, a strategically important position overlooking roads connecting al-Majdal, Bayt Jibrin, al-Faluja, and the Negev.
The fall of the ‘Iraq Suwaydan police fortress contributed to tightening the Israeli encirclement of Egyptian forces and Palestinian civilians in the area later known as the Faluja Pocket.
