The war in Israel and the failure of Mossad

By Vivekanand Jha*

The invasion of Israel by Hamas from the Gaza Strip and Hezbollah from the Lebanon side appears nothing short of an unexpected mishap, an accidental torpedoing of Jews when the world’s premier espionage agency, Mossad, in a situation laced with incredulity, spectacularly failed to uphold its own flawless credibility in the eyes of the global community.

To add salt to the injury, The Times of Israel today quoted an unidentified Egyptian intelligence official claiming that Israel ignored the warnings about “something big” from Egypt which often serves as a mediator between Israel and Hamas, a claim that was immediately rubbished by Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office. Israeli PM’s office said that the report to the effect that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu received a message in advance from Egypt “is absolutely false”. It claimed, “No message in advance has arrived from Egypt and the Prime Minister has neither spoken, nor met, with the head of Egyptian intelligence since the formation of the government, neither directly nor indirectly. This is totally fake news”.

Nonetheless, could Mossad fail as drastically as it has, in view of the cascading crises which has engulfed Israel today, is the only question, amidst this apocalypse which befell the Israelis.

According to the Israeli Defence Forces spokesperson Libby Weiss, more than 700 people have so far been killed and over 1,000 injured in the Hamas attack till today. Hezbollah confirmed in a statement, the killing of three of its members in Israeli firing on south Lebanon today, as the conflict expanded to the Israeli-Lebanese border.

Also read: Hamas strikes in Gaza, Netanyahu declares war

With the horror unfolding in Israel since the early morning of October 7, 2023, especially the civilians, with almost over 100 taken hostage by the infiltrating Hamas terrorists on the very first day of the “war”,  the ongoing destruction inside Israel, presents a tandav of death and destruction. The hostages were taken after the Gaza militants shot and killed at point-blank range, revellers who were attending an all-night music festival in southern Israel on Saturday. At least 260 bodies lay near the site of the Nova festival, outside Re’im, officials said. An Associated Press report quoted Abu Obeida, spokesman of the Qassam Brigades – the military wing of the militant Hamas, saying in an audio release tonight, “We have decided to put an end to this and as of now and we declare that any targeting of our people in their homes without prior warning will be regrettably faced with the execution of one the hostages of civilians we are holding”.

How could Mossad fail so abysmally in collecting the intelligence inputs and, that too, at such a macro level?

Reading the book Mossad had filled me with an immeasurable thrill as well as pride for the operations undertaken by the spy agency, in the different parts of the world. The daring ventures of Mossad do evoke awe in us.

Ironically, the same organisation would fail to predict the conspiracies brewing next door was an anathema to me. Nonetheless,  how the Opposition has united behind the government until Israel wins this war, is a glowing tribute to the robust resolve of the Jews to vanquish its enemies, no matter how big their number.

With the world divided over this grave issue confronting Israel, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ‘Bismarckian’ vision faces hitherto the most formidable challenge as ever, for negotiating with this apparent polarisation of the world between pro and anti-Israel, has its own price for India.

Modi had earlier refused to blink, despite confronting the pressure of Western nations to criticise Russia. This, unequivocally, was the genuine triumph of Modi’s resolve to remain steadfast with Russia on the one hand, while going tango with the USA, on the other hand. Better still, his going hammer and tongs in courting the Middle-East countries, makes him unique in striking a ‘Bismarckian’ balance.

However, in view of the unfolding scenario in Israel, where Narendra Modi has already declared his support for Israel will pose the challenge of humongous proportion in delicately balancing the relations, especially with the Islamic world.

Unequivocally, it was Israel’s normalisation of relations with Saudi Arabia, mediated by the United States of America, that was the trigger behind the current crises, for Iran could hardly stomach Israel getting closer to Saudi Arabia, which posed the challenge of keeping Arabs united against Israel.

Be that as it may, what exactly is the moot question is, how India, which is openly siding with the USA, will manage its friendly ties with the Islamic world when the latter had openly issued its support for Hamas.

As for the USA, it has a tough task in hand and its Secretary of State Antony J.Blinken is now busy urging his counterparts in Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Türkiye, and Jordan, “to coordinate continued efforts to bring an immediate halt to the horrific and ongoing terrorist attacks on Israel…and securing the release of all hostages”.  Blinken is also coordinating with his counterparts in the European Union, Germany, Italy, and the United Kingdom, underlining the United States’ support for Israel’s right to defend itself. He also discussed measures to bolster Israel’s security with Israeli President Isaac Herzog and Foreign Minister Eli Cohen, and also urged the Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas to enhance steps to restore calm and stability in the West Bank. 

-with inputs from global bihari bureau

*Author, Academician and Public Intellectual.