“This is a colossal failure of the Israeli intelligence services and, in particular, the Shin Bet internal security service in preventing a terrorist attack,” – described with these words situation Greek-American Mark Polymeropoulos, former high-ranking official CIA, responsible for covert operations in the Middle East.
Even hours after the Hamas attack on Israeli territory, Mark Polymeropoulos says, he and his colleagues from Western intelligence agencies are shocked: “Neither the agents nor the electronic surveillance systems were able to gather information about the plan, which took six months to a year to prepare and included attacks by air, land and sea. It is a mystery that is difficult for me to explain. Have they abandoned all their sources? Or did they think that they work for Israel, but were actually on the side of Hamas?”
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The former CIA officer also emphasizes that this is a failure not only of Israel, but also of other agencies operating in the region and supporting intelligence networks in Gaza. For example, Egypt, Qatar, Jordan and Saudi Arabia.
Anger
“Never in my career have I seen a failure of this magnitude,” Polymeropoulos said emphatically. Citing his contacts with people in Tel Aviv and Jerusalem, he said there was anger among Israelis, of course, at Hamas and its atrocities, but also at the failure of the country’s services to prevent them. Mr. Polymeropoulos takes for granted Iran’s support for the preparation of a terrorist attack by Hamas.
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“Judging by the complex nature of the operation and the discipline shown by the forces that planned and executed it, I believe with 100 percent certainty that Iran participated in its preparation.”he notes.
“In my entire career, I have never seen a failure of this magnitude,” continues the Greek-American former CIA officer. “September 11th was something similar for us in the United States.”
Intelligence mission
We ask Mr. Polymeropoulos what the mission of the Israeli intelligence services might be from now on. “First of all, identify and indicate targets in the Gaza Strip. Then find the hostages and subsequently determine to what extent Iran is involved in this matter,” – he answers.
He also explains that the taking of Israeli hostages is an extremely sensitive and complex issue for Israel that could determine the course of the war. “Hamas decided to take the hostages to prevent an Israeli ground invasion of Gaza. It is highly likely that in the event of a ground invasion, the hostages would be executed.”
The question remains, according to Mr. Polymeropoulos, what position Hezbollah will take in the next period. Regarding the US reaction, he notes that “It will be very difficult for Biden to try to contain Israel, as has happened in similar cases in the past. Especially if information is confirmed that among the civilian deaths there were US citizens.”
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Civilian casualties
He concludes by noting that the Hamas offensive and Israeli response will lead to massive civilian casualties in the Gaza Strip as well. “They were warned to leave these areas, but the truth is that they have nowhere to go. This is why we say at work that covert action is the first line of defense. If the security services had achieved their goal, bloodshed could have been avoided.”
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