A surprise attack by Hamas this weekend reportedly caught Israel’s vaunted intelligence service off guard – so much so that senior officials said last week that the Islamist militant group was neither interested nor ready to fight.
Neither the Israel Defense Forces nor the Israel Security Agency — commonly known as Shin Bet — issued any warning that the terrorist organization, which operates out of the Gaza Strip, would launch Saturday’s attack that has left hundreds dead and thousands injured. on both sides, according to the Israeli newspaper Haaretz.
In fact, senior IDF and defense ministry officials said publicly last week that Hamas – which has since sent dozens of gunmen storming across the border heavily armed under a combination of rockets – has little interest in open conflict.
The hearing, which followed recent clashes along the border, saw officials say the militant group would not start a war, the outlet said.
The terrorist organization’s attack this weekend – which has sparked two days of fierce fighting, left hundreds dead and thousands injured on both sides – has led to a barrage of criticism of Israel’s legendary intelligence service, which otherwise has been successful in his constant shadow war. against the enemies of the Jewish State.
Israel’s legendary intelligence service apparently missed the warning signs of a pending Hamas attack, which the organization launched early Saturday morning. AFP via Getty Images The country’s intelligence agency has largely succeeded in waging a long shadow war against the Jewish state’s enemies. AFP via Getty Images
Israel has the most extensive and well-funded intelligence network in the Middle East, according to the BBC. That includes informants and agents who have infiltrated Palestinian militant groups, as well as similar organizations across Lebanon and Syria.
But it is not enough.
“The whole system failed. It’s not just one component,” Jonathan Conricus, former IDF international spokesman, told CNN.
“The entire defense architecture clearly fails to provide the necessary defenses for Israeli civilians,” Conricus continued. “This is a Pearl Harbor-type moment for Israel, where there is reality until today, and then there will be reality after today.”
Saturday morning’s attack has left hundreds dead and thousands more injured on both sides. REUTERS One expert called the intelligence failure a “Pearl Harbor-type moment” for Israel. AFP via Getty Images
Failure has consequences.
Israel has not seen fighting like this – or its enemy’s penetration of its military bases and cities – since its war of independence in 1948, according to CNN.
“With the combined efforts of the Shin Bet, Israel’s domestic intelligence, the Mossad, its foreign intelligence agency and all the assets of the Israel Defense Forces, it is astonishing that no one saw it,” BBC security correspondent Frank Gardner wrote on Saturday.
“Or if they do, they fail to act on it.”
Israel has spent billions shielding its borders to repel such attacks since it withdrew from Gaza in 2005, the network said.
The border between Israel and Gaza is heavily armored. But armed men charged through the ranks. AFP via Getty Images
That includes an anti-missile defense system that the US is helping the country develop to ward off airstrikes.
It is also reported to have built a smart border system featuring cameras, ground motion sensors and underground walls. And it complements them with regular military patrols.
The border fence between Gaza and Israel is topped with barbed wire – and it’s supposed to be the kind of wall that prevents such attacks, says the BBC.
But it made little difference – as Hamas reportedly invaded, cut holes in the wire, or entered Israel using para-gliders or by sea, the network said.
The IDF did not comment on whether it considered the lack of warning about Saturday’s attack an intelligence failure.
“We will talk about what happens in terms of intelligence after that,” military spokesman Lt. Col. Richard Hecht told CNN, adding that Israel is focused on the current struggle.
A major investigation has already begun. But officials say the questions could drag on for years.
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Source: thtrangdai.edu.vn/en/
