HAMAS attack represents Israeli intelligence's most significant failure in 50 years - Bloomberg
The HAMAS attack has been the biggest failure for Israeli intelligence in 50 years (photo: flickr.com/idfonline)
The unexpected invasion by HAMAS into Israel is considered one of the biggest failures of Israeli intelligence since the Yom Kippur War in 1973, according to Bloomberg.
As noted by Bloomberg, HAMAS' attack involved complex operations on land and sea, as well as rocket barrages. The planning of such actions would have been difficult to overlook.
Despite Israeli officials repeatedly stating for months that Palestinian militants were preparing an attack, Bloomberg believes that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was caught off guard. Israel and its ally, the United States, will be looking into who bears the greatest responsibility for this situation.
"It’s shocking to me that they were able to do it without Israel or the United States picking up on it," said Martin Indyk, former U.S. Ambassador to Israel.
Bloomberg noted that HAMAS' incursion occurred exactly 50 years after Israel failed to prevent a surprise attack by Egypt and Syria (the Yom Kippur War).
Meanwhile, in Israel, officials are cautious about jumping to conclusions or making comparisons.
Bloomberg emphasizes that Israeli security services allocate significant resources to monitor Palestinians, including HAMAS, using networks of informants and surveillance technologies.
HAMAS attacked Israel
Yesterday, on October 7, HAMAS militants from the Gaza Strip infiltrated southern Israel. This was preceded by numerous rocket strikes on Israeli territory.
By evening, Israeli military forces had regained control of parts of the territory and also conducted retaliatory strikes against HAMAS military targets and headquarters. During the night, both sides exchanged rocket fire.
In the morning, explosions were reported in northern Israel. The Hezbollah group claimed responsibility for the attacks, which were launched from Lebanon. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) responded with strikes in retaliation.
