Shin Bet chief admits to intel failure, holds himself responsible

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Israeli media
16 Oct 2023 23:05
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It is claimed that hours before the launch of Operation Al-Aqsa Flood on October 7, the security establishment suspected unusual movement in the Gaza Strip.

Ronen Bar, chief of the Israeli Security Agency or Shin Bet in an undated photo (AFP)

In a message to members of the Shin Bet security agency, chief Ronen Bar, claims to hold himself responsible for the lack of an early warning for the Palestinian Resistance operation on "Israel".

“Despite a series of actions we carried out, unfortunately on Saturday we were unable to generate a sufficient warning that would allow the attack to be thwarted," he said, adding, “As the one who heads the organization, the responsibility for this is mine."

“There will be time for investigations. Now we are fighting.”

Hours before the launch of Operation Al-Aqsa Flood on October 7, the security establishment claimed to have suspected unusual movement in the Gaza Strip, which prompted a late-night phone call between senior officials, but the signs were later brushed off.

According to Israeli reports, Bar went to the agency’s headquarters and deployed a small team to the Gaza border after anticipating a small-scale operation. When the operation was launched, at least 10 members of the Shin Bet were killed on October 7, as per the agency.

“We are in a war, not a round [of fighting]. A round you win with a victory image and silence; a war ends with a decisive victory and a change of situation. There is no border limit, no time limit. Till the very end,” Bar added.

'Greatest failure in Israeli history' - or world history

This comes the same day as former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak called Operation Al-Aqsa Flood “the greatest failure in Israeli history," as he warned the occupation's government not to rush and go with a ground invasion.

Barak believes that once all the reservists have taken a refresher training, control of most of the Gaza Strip and the destruction of Hamas’ centers of power and military capabilities can be achieved “in two to six weeks.”

However, he remains critical of the plan for “destroying Hamas” by Benjamin Netanyahu, "Israel’s" Prime Minister.

“What does it even mean?... That no one can still breathe and believe in Hamas’s ideology? That’s not a believable war aim. Israel’s objective now has to be clearer,” he said.

Surprisingly, Barak expressed that the best outcome would be the re-establishment of the Palestinian Authority in Gaza but warned that Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas “cannot be seen to be returning on Israeli bayonets."