Israel Matzav

GSS head furious: Barak ignored terror warning

Maariv reports (link in Hebrew) that General Security Service head Yoram Cohen is furious with Defense Minister Ehud Barak because Barak ignored a specific warning about the Eilat-area terror attacks on August 18.

I was sent the following Google translation of the article (without a link - have not checked if the person who sent it improved it).

Events of the attack south of the country two weeks ago caused great tension in their relationship of the Shin Bet chief Yoram Cohen and Defense Minister Ehud Barak. A senior official familiar with the matter told yesterday (Wednesday) to Maariv ":" Shin Bet chief was furious over his handling of the defense minister warning focused on providing service to the band of terrorists. "

According to the source, Shin Bet head "just exploded" [on] the defense minister. One can also understand the fact that Ehud Barak was quick to place responsibility at the door of the Southern Command Tal Russo.collecting data related to the fatal attack turns out that the previous default large and widely published as so far. warning of GSS was detailed, accurate and timely given. Details were filled, even for their own activities of terrorists in Sinai, for infiltration into Israel, and for their command squad, sitting in Gaza. A senior security official states: "For years there was no warning security system such quality." ISA's recommendation was, therefore, take some evasive action and hit squad attack was in Gaza. Minister of Defense, according to this information, resisted and rejected the recommendation to "not burn the ground".

At the same time, it turns out that the warning did not reach the ground level in full, prompting the army did not prepare properly and what led forces to fold every morning and be satisfied with preparations for a night only. "This is a catastrophe," said a senior political security present at the meetings. "Only a miracle prevented us attack la bus up scorpions [Reference to 1954 terror attack I discussed here. CiJ]. If the bus driver was injured and a curfew in place to gallop forward, the terrorists were executed and confirmed killing dozens of passengers each. All this could have been avoided. " criticism is the fact that levels of command of the PRC issued, exercised and took command of the attack wiped out a few hours after, instead of several hours in front of him. "You could save a life here, many of the Israelis," said a senior official, "but

Defense Minister addiction of silence made ​​it happened. At the same time, the staging was incomplete because not all of the information flowed and came down, only a miracle we saved a catastrophe. " Incidentally, after the attack and after the liquidation of the head arm carried him, the IDF killed one night another Jihad activist who was preparing another attack. "Suddenly," says a senior political factor, "the IDF also decided to eliminate someone making a terrorist attack. Suddenly has an interest not to light the area.People have forgotten their supreme interest here is to save lives of Israeli civilians and prevent terrorist attacks in our territory. We're lucky this time is relatively cheap. " Shin Bet said in response: We do not want to address. Defense Ministry spokesman said: The article claims unfounded and baseless.

It sounds like Barak was to blame for the terror attacks' success and not Tal Russo. Maybe Barak went to sleep again.

Labels: Ehud Barak, Eilat, Palestinian terrorism, Yoram Cohen

posted by Carl in Jerusalem @ 9:32 AM