Eli Ben Meir
Up until now, the “secret safety affair,” aka the Israeli assault on the Syrian nuclear reactor, has solely been reported inwards unusual media due to censorship regulations. Now that it has been approved for publication inwards Israeli media, too, I am excited to remember that flow 10 years agone when I served equally caput of the IDF Technological Intelligence Department inwards the Research Division as well as afterward equally deputy caput of the entire division. In essence, I was the leading IDF tidings officeholder at the fourth dimension of the attack. I possess got many as well as varied memories from that time. My subdivision was the initiatory of all to uncover the existence of the nuclear reactor, only a few months earlier the assault took place. We at in 1 trial alerted our superior officers as well as and then continued to hold upwards involved inwards the progress of the affair. We participated inwards dozens of deliberations inwards which the province of affairs was assessed as well as and then reassessed as well as details well-nigh a possible assault were discussed. We carried out numerous simulations as well as articulated what the in all probability reactions from the Syrians as well as peculiarly Bashar Assad could be.
Ironically enough, the actual assault took house the same eventide equally the marriage ceremony of ii of my colleagues, Liron, who was the IDF principal of staff’s secretary, as well as Oron. For many days as well as nights next the attack, nosotros continued to closely discovery all activity inwards Syrian Arab Republic thus that State of Israel would hold upwards cook inwards example Damascus decided to retaliate.
I’m for certain that numerous commentaries as well as personal accounts volition at nowadays hold upwards written well-nigh that fateful nighttime – inwards fact, I believe at that spot are plenty to fill upwards dozens of books as well as movies. But without going into also much detail, discussing controversial issues or who deserves credit for dissimilar aspects of the campaign, at that spot are a number of issues that must initiatory of all hold upwards examined thus that the IDF Military Intelligence Directorate tin give notice hold upwards for certain to acquire the necessary lessons.
The researchers inwards the IDF Technological Intelligence Department that I commanded from the halt of 2005 suspected that at that spot was cloak-and-dagger nuclear activity taking house inwards Syria, but nosotros could non show this unequivocally. Throughout 2006, my squad as well as I fought against diverse officials inwards IDF tidings as well as the Mossad inwards an endeavour to convince them to allocate resources as well as manpower to investigate this threat. Despite the fact that I was met alongside cracking resistance, I was non deterred as well as continued to entrance hall for additional funding as well as to introduce our findings at every possible forum inwards State of Israel equally good equally overseas, fifty-fifty if nosotros knew at that spot was fiddling jeopardy we’d hold upwards listened to.
The importance of tidings query equally the primary axis of tidings gathering
This thing makes it unequivocally clear that tidings gathering, as well as peculiarly the query department, is the mainstay of Military Intelligence. If it weren’t for the IDF Technological Intelligence Department, the State of State of Israel would possess got woken upwards 1 forenoon to a proclamation past times Bashar Assad that an active nuclear reactor exists inwards Syria! The fact that the number of query staffers has been cut, the unit’s condition lowered, as well as its influence on data collection reduced, has harmed the powerfulness of Military Intelligence units to maintain State of Israel safe.
Everyone tin give notice predict the hereafter as well as struggle well-nigh the past
Unfortunately, it is hard to discovery people today who volition acknowledge that they rejected out of manus the numerous assertions nosotros made proving that a nuclear reactor existed inwards Syria. (These objections continued from the halt of 2005 until the start of 2007.) This continued, despite the fact that at that spot were many people who rejected these facts.
But because nosotros are non discussing the number from the cry for of sentiment of those who opposed carrying out the attack, nosotros are non learning from our mistakes.
Delegation to as well as trust of commanders
Due to the fact that my squad as well as I were the ones who discovered the existence of the reactor, equally good equally the ones who carried out the verification of the information, my commanders appointed me to hold upwards the tidings commander of the operation. Because Research Division caput Brig.-Gen. Yossi Baidatz, Maj.-Gen. Amos Yadlin – who was caput of Military Intelligence – as well as Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Gabi Ashkenazi had consummate confidence inwards me, I was able to personally brief prime number government minister Ehud Olmert as well as his squad on a weekly dry soil regarding the condition of the project. I informed them well-nigh our operational plan, alternative plans, as well as all the possible forms of retaliation nosotros mightiness expect. I was never asked to procedure whatever textile through the Military Censor, or to render them alongside a preview earlier approaching the prime number minister.
The connector betwixt fantabulous query capabilities as well as operational understanding
Needless to say, the Arab Spring would possess got evolved quite differently had Syria’s armed forces had nuclear capabilities. My broad operational tidings background allowed me, on the 1 hand, to force for the disclosure of the cloak-and-dagger nuclear activity inwards Syrian Arab Republic as well as to introduce it to the relevant armed forces as well as safety echelons. On the other hand, I was also capable of producing operational tidings that opened upwards a multifariousness of options for Israel. This critical juxtaposition of query tidings as well as operational agreement is becoming to a greater extent than as well as to a greater extent than rare.
The powerfulness as well as obligation to accept responsibility
It is vital to accept responsibleness on a daily dry soil when gathering intelligence.
Our professional person as well as personal prestige is lay to the seek during unique times, such equally during the Syrian nuclear reactor affair.
On acme of this, I was faced alongside tremendous opposition from Syrian Arab Republic specialists as well as other senior IDF tidings as well as Mossad officials. It was clear to me that my professional person status, equally good equally that of my team, was at risk if nosotros were to neglect due to under- or overestimating the seriousness of Syrian nuclear capability. If it turned out that our claim that Syrian Arab Republic was edifice a nuclear reactor was false, this would possess got been disastrous for the safety of the State of Israel, as well as possess got been extremely damaging for the reputation of the Technological Intelligence Department, equally good equally for me personally. Despite these pressures, I did non hesitate to relay the data nosotros had at hand. After it became clear that our assessment had been correct, the appropriate bodies were able to laid out the procedure of preparing operational plans.
Investigations as well as conclusions
After the assault was completed, I led the Military Intelligence investigation as well as was appointed past times the principal of staff to bring together the squad that prepared overviews of IDF processes. This squad carried out an extensive investigation whose findings were presented to the principal of staff as well as the caput of Military Intelligence. Influenza A virus subtype H5N1 number of the lessons nosotros learned at that fourth dimension are silent relevant today, but I am doubtful that many electrical flow senior Military Intelligence officials are familiar alongside them.
The importance of people
As caput of the Technological Intelligence Department during that period, I was privileged to ascendancy a grouping of professional person operatives who had a broad hit of noesis inwards applied scientific discipline as well as science, equally good equally unique query as well as tidings capabilities. They used advanced methodologies to get together intelligence, as well as were non discouraged past times the many objections they encountered along the way. I experience deep gratitude to each as well as every 1 of them.
On a personal complaint – the responsibleness an tidings officeholder has over a 30-year career is tremendous. The daily uncertainty that arises from the unexpected actions of the enemy is a chore that requires beingness available 24/7 as well as is real challenging.
There are, however, situations inwards which you lot experience that all your hard operate had been worth it, as well as that the challenges you’d faced all of a abrupt look to shrink. I valued the chance to operate alongside high-quality officers as well as soldiers as well as aid them prepare professionally. I also experience that nosotros were successful inwards preventing attacks that would possess got brought well-nigh the loss of many lives, as well as preventing the escalation of tensions that could possess got led to war.
Few officers possess got the jeopardy to participate inwards such fateful events similar the assault on the Syrian nuclear reactor. I experience privileged as well as grateful to my commanders as well as the Technological Intelligence operators who served nether me during that time.
To conclude, this is also the initiatory of all chance I’ve had to divulge to my wife, Galit, as well as to my daughters why I was absent thus much during those few months of 2007, why my presence was needed overseas as well as why I received a alphabetic character of commendation from prime number government minister Ehud Olmert.
Brig.-Gen. (res.) Eli Ben Meir is a veteran Israeli tidings officeholder who served equally caput of Military Intelligence’s Research Division.
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