Egypt border shooting showed failure of Israeli security system: Media

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Israeli media
4 Jun 2023 14:43

Israeli media say Israeli occupation forces suffered a serious failure in preventing "infiltration" into "Israel".

An Israeli occupation soldier on the border with Egypt reacts to the announcement of the killing of the three soldiers, on June 3, 2023 (Reuters)

Israeli occupation Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday deemed the shooting operation that left three occupation soldiers killed by an Egyptian policeman on the border with Egypt a "terrorist attack", calling for a joint investigation with Egyptian authorities.

"Israel relayed a clear message to the Egyptian government. We expect that the joint investigation will be exhaustive and thorough," Netanyahu told his government in a televised statement.

In the same context, the Israeli news website Maariv suggested in a report that the shooting operation was a planned attack by the Egyptian policeman, who apparently "entered Israel" through a well-known loophole in the fence, which he used as a weak point that allowed him to get very close to the Israeli position and open fire from a very close range on the soldiers.

The Israeli news website indicated that Israeli occupation forces suffered a serious failure in preventing "infiltration" into "Israel" and the way in which they were supposed to be prepared to deal with such incidents.

Maariv indicated that in this "severe attack", not only was the Israeli military position itself "overrun" by the Egyptian policeman - the "entire defense concept" also failed the real test.

According to the newspaper, it turns out that gunfire sounds as a result of the Egyptian policeman's first confrontation with Israeli occupation soldiers were heard in the area, but they were dealt with as routine bullets in the Egyptian depth.

It added that the connections between the gunfire that was heard and the lost contact with the isolated military position was made hours late, which gave the Egyptian policeman some time to prepare for the next confrontation with Israeli occupation forces.

The report pointed out that the recent operation at the border with Egypt shows the importance of maintaining operational efficiency, vigilance, and preparation for an unusual event that may occur, underlining that what happened requires a very comprehensive and in-depth investigation.

Maariv considered that the Egyptian policeman's plan, which succeeded despite its simplicity, exposed the complete collapse of the security system of the Israeli occupation army in this particular area, admitting that the results of the operation were indeed difficult and painful.

Israeli ground forces 'neglected'

Touching on the same matter, Israeli media said "Israel" should review itself with regard to the ground army and its readiness, in the wake of the shooting operation on the border with Egypt.

Yossi Yehoshua, a military commentator for Yedioth Ahronoth, suggested that before discussing an attack against Iran, it is important that "Israel" examines what is happening with its "neglected ground army."

Yehoshua indicated that "Israel fell in love with intelligence and the air force, and neglected its ground forces."

He stressed that following "its resounding defeat against an Egyptian policeman, the Israeli army must conduct an examination of its readiness and change priorities."

Amos Harel, the military affairs expert for the Israeli newspaper Haaretz, pointed to the vulnerability of the Israeli army as he called for "a thorough military investigation into deficiencies that made it [the operation] possible and to review defense along this border," which has seen relative quiet as "Israel" has been able to coordinate security-wise with the successive Egyptian governments.

Harel believed that the event should push the Israeli army to "reexamine the entire defense strategy and assess whether there is an appropriate balance among forces, posts, and means of observation, given the extraordinary length of the border," which is around 240 km long.

The Israeli expert said the incident was "serious and exceptional both in its circumstances and in its fatal outcome," adding that such events are usually pinned on soldiers or police officers who "went crazy", however, this major security breach should be further examined.

On his part, military affairs analyst for Israeli Channel 12, Nir Dvori, said, "The harsh incident in the south indicates a weakness in operational readiness on the ground and raises questions about future readiness in regard to smuggling from Sinai."