By Shahrokh Saei
Israeli military intelligence chief steps down
TEHRAN- The resignation of the Israeli military intelligence director has raised serious questions about the ulterior motives lurking behind his decision.
Major General Aharon Haliva, chief of the Israel Military Intelligence Directorate, announced on Monday that he will step down, citing his responsibility for failing to prevent the October 7 military operation carried out by the Hamas resistance movement.
“The intelligence directorate under my command did not live up to the task we were entrusted with. I have carried that black day with me ever since, day after day, night after night. I will carry the horrible pain of the war with me forever” Haliva wrote in his resignation letter.
Defense Minister Yoav Gallant approved Haliva’s resignation which had been coordinated with Lieutenant-General Herzi Halevi, the head of the Israeli armed forces.
Following the October 7 attack by Hamas, Haliva had accepted responsibility for the failures that allowed the resistance group to catch Israel off guard.
“We failed in our most important mission, and as the head of the Military Intelligence Directorate, I bear full responsibility for the failure,” Haliva said on October 17.
Haliva, however, said at the time that he was putting off quitting due to the Gaza war.
Over 1,100 people were killed when Hamas conducted Operation Al-Aqsa Flood in southern Israel and more than 250 others were taken captive. Dozens of the captives still remain in Gaza.
The Hamas attack was followed by Israel’s brutal onslaught which has claimed the lives of more than 34,000 Palestinians in Gaza.
The timing of Haliva’s resignation has brought up challenging questions. This is because Israel is still continuing the war in Gaza and fighting Lebanon’s Hezbollah resistance movement in the north. Besides, unprecedented tensions with Iran have worsened the situation for Tel Aviv.
Undoubtedly, the Israeli military intelligence chief has been under pressure over his failure to foresee the October 7 attack.
But, Iran’s recent drone and missile attacks against Israel have exerted immense and intolerable pressure on the regime.
On April 13, Iran launched a salvo of more than 300 drones and missiles at Israel. It was in retaliation for an Israeli strike that demolished Iran’s consulate in the Syrian capital,
Damascus, two weeks earlier. Several Iranian military advisors, including a top commander, were assassinated in the strike.
The attack dealt severe blows to the Israeli military and intelligence services, previously seen as virtually unbeatable.
Israel is a nuclear power which is supported by some other nuclear powers such as the United States. But, Iran’s strike exposed the regime’s extreme vulnerability.
Israel has resorted to media propaganda to whitewash its intelligence and military fiasco in the face of Iran’s strong response to the regime’s evil acts.
Haliva is the first high-ranking Israeli official to step down for failing to prevent the October 7 attack. He is also the first official who will quit his post after Iran’s drone and missile attacks.
Haliva’s resignation has thrown a spotlight on fears that have haunted the Israeli regime over its military and intelligence failures.
Israel’s successive military and intelligence defeats at the hands of Iran and regional resistance groups highlight the fact that the regime is as fragile as a spider web.
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