By Neeraj Rajput
If anyone is being held responsible for the biggest terrorist attack on Israel, it is its own intelligence agency Mossad. After the US intelligence agency, CIA, the agency which is considered to be the most powerful and dreaded too is Mossad. Mossad is known all over the world for its ‘covert-operations’ and ability to carry out operations by intruding into enemy’s territory discreetly.
How to lay a trap in an enemy’s military base or terrorist organisations and obtain information, perhaps no one is better in spy craft than the agents of Mossad. With such historical success Mossad had come to be synonymous with Israel. Then how Palestine’s terrorist organisation Hamas managed to trick the Mossad of Israel, which till 7th October was considered to be the safest country in the world, is beyond anyone’s imagination.
Was Mossad sleeping at the time of Hamas attack? Or it is not that Hamas out-manoeuvred Mossad. Or Hamas was helped by the intelligence agencies of such countries which out-smart the Mossad.
The first thing is that Mossad relies more on electronic intelligence viz monitoring or listening to mobile phones, landlines, radio sets and radar frequencies. By creating spying apps like Pegasus and getting into the mobile phones of people so that every activity of inimical elements can be monitored. Or bug the enemy’s house or office, that is, by installing a listening device in the items kept there and listening from a distant command and control centre. Monitoring social media is also part of espionage and keeping a track of the terrorist and radical forces.
But what if your enemy does not use a mobile phone? Or Does not use modern gadgets for communication at all. And or not use social media. What will you do then? Because now terrorists have realised that police, intelligence and security agencies can reach them quickly through electronic surveillance.
In such a situation, it can be assumed that the top commanders of Hamas and the terrorists may not be using electronic devices to communicate and pass on information to each other or giving instruction. They have not been active on social media since quite some time. This could be the reason why Mossad or Israel’s domestic intelligence agency Shin-Bet did not get wind of Hamas’s long-running attack conspiracy.
This is the reason why in the world of intelligence agencies, a lot of emphasis is given to Human-INT i.e human intelligence. That means, to keep an eye on the enemy, your agents must be on the ground. Such agents who have penetrated into the network of terrorists and the terrorist organisations are not even aware of it. So, is the human intelligence of Mossad or Israel’s domestic intelligence agency, Shin-Bet, weak or they have reduced dependency on it ?
Recently there was a popular series ‘Fauda’ on Television which was based on Israel’s covert operations. How Israel’s ‘crack team’ goes to Gaza-Patti and other areas of Palestine and kills Hamas terrorists. How does this crack team conduct surveillance of Hamas terrorists, listen to phones or bug houses so that accurate intelligence can be gathered, everything has been vividly picturised? Role of human-int has been shown less in this series. One reason for this could be that setting up one’s spies or planting them in enemy territory is really a herculean task.
A big reason for the failure of Mossad could be that Hamas terrorists may have got help from Iran or any other powerful country. Because the way Hamas terrorists attacked simultaneously from land, sea and sky, it is clear that they were given a long training.
Hamas terrorists had infiltrated into Israel through paragliding too. Paragliding cannot be learned overnight. It takes a long time for that. And it is also certain that you cannot learn paragliding in a closed room or hall. For that you need an open field and open sky. Such a place cannot exist in the Gaza Strip. Had it been so, Israel would have definitely caught it. In such a situation, Hamas terrorists might have learned this type of training in Iran, Lebanon or some other friendly country.
It is also pertinent to tell here that recently a video went viral in India. This video came to light during the Kokernag terrorist attack in Jammu and Kashmir. In the video, a big drone could be seen carrying a man from one place to another. At that time it was being said that Lashkar-e-Taiba, a terrorist organisation operating from Pakistan, was training its terrorists to use drones to infiltrate into India. In such a situation, the possibility cannot be ruled out that Pakistan itself has trained Hamas terrorists. Because like most Islamic countries, Pakistan not only supports Palestine but also considers Israel as its enemy. Even the strong relations between India and Israel are not pleasing to Pakistan.
One reason for Mossad’s failure is also believed to be that its agents were busy celebrating the Yom Kippur festival, hence they did not get information about the Hamas attack. But the Yom Kippur festival was on October 6, i.e. a day before the attack. Even if the agents were celebrating holidays a day or two before, then this attack is not one that was planned in a day or two. Hamas must have been waiting and preparing for this attack for a long time. Nevertheless, this attack is also a lesson for all intelligence and security agencies and police that they should not lower their guards during the festivals. There should be no lapse of any kind in national security.
There is apprehension about internal sabotage and whether Hamas had made inroads into Israel. The reason for this is that for the last few years, Israel has given employment to a large number of Palestinian citizens to work in its country. Because a ceasefire like situation had come with Hamas. In such a situation, to restore peace and provide better livelihood to the Palestinian citizens, Israel could have allowed Hamas terrorists (or even double agents) in the garb of ordinary Palestinians. In such a situation these double agents in a well laid out plan (conspiracy) with their commanders, attacked Israel as soon as they got the opportunity. This also needs to be investigated.
But this is not the first time that Mossad has failed. Even though Israel has now started ‘Operation Iron Sword’ against Palestine, exactly 50 years ago, Arab countries had launched a similar major attack on Israel during the Yom Kippur festival. In the year 1973, when Israeli citizens were immersed in celebrations on the day of Yom Kippur, the Arab countries suddenly attacked, and the intelligence agencies had no clue.
Exactly 50 years later, this time too the attack took place just a day after Yom Kippur. When people were celebrating the festival, Hamas fighters entered the border and created havoc. The attack happened with complete precise planning. Exactly the same thing happened on Saturday, October 6, due to which Israel has started a war against Hamas and Palestine.
The author is Editor in Chief of Final Assault and a Senior War-journalist having more than two decades of multimedia experience with specialization in defence, conflict, security, strategic affairs & geopolitics. He has done ground reporting from the Korean Peninsula and his book on the Russia-Ukraine war, ‘Operation Z Live’ in Hindi has just been released.
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