Chief of infamous Israeli Unit 8200 resigns over October 7 failure
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The Israeli occupation army said Sariel is due to be replaced “in the coming period.”
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A Palestinian Resistance fighters stands ontop of a burning Israeli Merkava tank that was destroyed by the Resistance in Gaza on October 7, 2023 (Anadolu Agency)
Brig. Gen. Yossi Sariel, the commander of the infamous Israeli Unit 8200, informed his superiors and subordinates on Thursday of his decision to resign over his failure on October 7 and the period leading up to it, according to the Times of Israel.
This makes him the latest of many top Israeli military officials to step down as a result of the Palestinian Resistance operation.
His resignation comes nearly a year after the Al-Aqsa Flood Operation, launched by the Palestinian Resistance in Gaza, an event that top Israeli military and intelligence officials have called the "greatest failure in Israel's history."
The Israeli occupation army said Sariel is due to be replaced “in the coming period.”
Read more: Hezbollah strikes Israeli 8200 unit, other bases in support of Gaza
The Military Intelligence Directorate's Unit 8200, known for its expertise in signal intelligence (SIGINT) and code decryption, counterintelligence, cyber warfare, military intelligence, and surveillance, plays a pivotal role in Israeli security and is comparable to the United States National Security Agency (NSA).
In a letter addressed to his unit on Thursday, Sariel expressed, “on October 7 at 6:29 a.m. I did not fulfill my mission as I expected of myself, as my commanders and subordinates expected of me, and as the citizens of the nation I love so much expected of me.”
Israeli Walla! news channel reported last week that Sariel intended to step down.
"The unit that has become an international brand is supposed to undergo rehabilitation after the great crisis," an Israeli security official told the outlet.
Read more: Commander of ground forces in Israeli Army to resign
Achieved its objectives
Hezbollah Secretary-General Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah revealed last month that, in its initial retaliation for the assassination of Hezbollah's senior military commander Sayyed Fouad Shokor, the Resistance targeted key Israeli military sites. These included the central Glilot base of Israeli military intelligence (Aman), which houses Unit 8200’s main operations hub near Tel Aviv, as well as the Ein Shemer airbase.
Sayyed Nasrallah confirmed that "a significant number of drones hit their intended targets, but the [Israeli] enemy is keeping all relevant details concealed."
Hezbollah's chief explained then that the operation entailed two phases.
The initial phase was focused on targeting sites and barracks in northern occupied Palestine with the hundreds of intended rockets to exhaust and deplete the Iron Dome and interceptor missiles, which paved the way for phase two, which saw the swarms of drones heading toward the critical targets.
"What was planned was achieved to the fullest," he asserted.
