New Delhi [India], October 8 (ANI): Former director of the Israel National Security Council, Helit Barel, hinted at an intelligence lapse, saying that the multi-front terror assault by Hamas caught the nation “by surprise”.
In an interview with ANI over Zoom, she added that the assaults may have been prevented if the intelligence wing of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) had been on the required “level of readiness”.
Barel mentioned Israel was at present in a state of battle and there was a sequence of challenges and duties at hand.
“It is quite clear that this attack caught us by surprise. There is no way that such terrible consequences would have occurred if Israeli forces intelligence were at the kind of readiness that we know and expect. Currently, we are in a state of war…There is a sequence of challenges and tasks at hand beginning with still getting all the areas down south where there were terrorist infiltrations completely cleared,” she instructed ANI.
On the operation carried out by the Israeli defence forces to neutralise terrorists within the area of battle (close to the Gaza border in addition to throughout Israel), she mentioned, “The forces are walking house by house and corner by corner making sure terrorists aren’t hiding anywhere. We have the larger task of making sure that all other arenas that Israel faces stay calm including the internal arena…I think it is inevitable that there will be very strong retributions within the Gaza Strip and I think it will be of a magnitude that we certainly have not seen before.”Underlining how civilians throughout the nation had been affected by the phobia assaults and the retaliatory strikes that adopted, Barel mentioned, “We’re trying not to get into analysis of exactly how and what went wrong at this time. We don’t have all the information and with people in such a bad state and needing stabilizing all over, families from all over the country have been hugely affected by this. We have a number of wounded, dead and hostages.””But I will say I think everybody from the public to anybody in the security establishment is searching for answers about this and certainly we will not rest until we understand what exactly conspired because the security of the citizens of this state has been severely impaired,” she instructed ANI.
The ‘shock assault’ on Israel by terrorist outfit Hamas was condemned by world leaders.
From Nepal, Sri Lanka to UK and Japan, world leaders expressed solidarity with Israel at a time when the nation dealing with the fallout of the phobia assaults, its worst until date, which has already claimed over 300 lives and prone to mount.
Taking to his official deal with on social media platform X, UK PM Rishi Sunak posted, “As the barbarity of today’s atrocities becomes clearer, we stand unequivocally with Israel. This attack by Hamas is cowardly and depraved,” as he pledged assist to his Israel counterpart, Benjamin Netanyahu.
“We have expressed our full solidarity to @netanyahu and will work with international partners in the next 24 hours to co-ordinate support,” he added.
Meanwhile, Japan Prime Minister Fumio Kishida posted on X, “Hamas and other Palestinian militants attacked Israel from Gaza yesterday. Japan strongly condemns the attacks which severely harmed innocent civilians.””I express my condolences to the bereaved families and heartfelt sympathies to the injured,” Kishida mentioned.
Around 6.30 am (native time) on Sunday, a barrage of rocket fireplace started from Gaza into Israel, hitting a number of cities together with Tel Aviv, Rehovot, Gedera and Ashkelon.
It was adopted by a number of Hamas terrorists coming into Israel from the Gaza Strip and laying a siege to Israeli cities.
Senior Hamas navy chief Mohammed Deif declared that the rocket launch was the start of “Operation Al-Aqsa Flood”, urging Palestinians all around the world to withstand Israeli occupation. Hamas would pay a “heavy price for its actions”, in response to studies.
The Israeli forces instructed residents dwelling close to the Gaza Strip, them to stay inside their homes.
The Al-Qassam Brigades, the navy arm of Hamas, referred to Saturday’s assault on Israel as an effort “in defence of the Al-Aqsa Mosque”, a disputed spiritual website vital to each Muslims and Jews, studies mentioned.
In the wake of the lethal assault, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu issued a stern warning to Hamas, claiming that the phobia outfit had begun a horrible battle and the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) would use all of its energy to undermine their capability.
“Hamas forces invaded Israeli territory this morning, on the morning of a holiday and Shabbat, and murdered innocent civilians, children and the elderly. Hamas started a cruel and evil war. We will win this war, but the price is too heavy to bear. This is a very difficult day for all of us,” the Israeli PM posted on ‘X’ on Sunday.
Netanyahu mentioned, “Hamas wants to murder us all. It is an enemy who murders children and mothers in their homes, in their beds. An enemy who kidnaps the elderly, children, and girls. Murderers who slap and slaughter our citizens, our children, who all in all went out to spend the holiday.” (ANI)