Hamas attacked IsraelBy Wale Adedayo
The Israeli intelligence community might have failed to see this attack coming. But those heaping blames on them may also want to realise that the IDF failed as well. Israeli borders were breached. HAMAS cadres also occupied at least 3 military barracks. How did that happen?
Yesterday, instead of air strikes against Gaza, the first thing the military should have done is to completely secure the borders. Of course, if that were done, key elements of HAMAS directing military action would have been trapped inside Israel. Those trapped can then be hunted down in a systematic manner.
Secondly, you don’t look down on your enemy. The propaganda about the invisibility of Shin Bet, IDF, Sayeret, Mista’arvim and other special forces units appeared to have dulled the military establishment into complacency. The Palestinians are improving their acts. If electronic warfare was adopted yesterday, the Palestinians would have taken half of Israel today. And, the attack only involved HAMAS.
What IF Yasser Arafat’s Fatah had joined? What if Islamic Jihad had joined? They could have also involved Hezbollah out of Lebanon. That would have more than messed up Israel.
The biggest loser in all of these is Saudi Arabia, whose efforts to cozy up to Israel by normalising relations, appear to have been the remote cause of the current war. Riyadh followed Washington’s instructions too gullibly.
Now, the Al Sauds in Saudi Arabia should brace up for what might likely happen to them soon. The Yemenis have been emboldened to act more now. And this also applies to the minorities in Saudi Arabia, who’ll coordinate with the Yemenis.