The Irgun (; full title: ', lit. "The National Military Organization in the Land of Israel") was a Zionist paramilitary organization that operated in Mandate Palestine between 1931 and 1948. The organization is also referred to as Etzel'" (), an acronym of the Hebrew initials, or by the abbreviation IZL. It was an offshoot of the older and larger Jewish paramilitary organization Haganah (Hebrew: , Defence). When the group broke from the Haganah it became known as the "Haganah Bet" (Hebrew: literally "Defense 'B' " or "Second Defense", ), or alternatively as haHaganah haLeumit () or Hama'amad (). Irgun members were absorbed into the Israel Defense Forces at the start of the 1948 Arab–Israeli war.