Head of 8200 Intelligence Unit Resigns Over October 7 Attack

The commander of the Israeli military intelligence unit "8200", Major General Yossi Sariel, informed the army commanders that he is resigning from his position, due to what he considered the "failure of the unit" to provide early warning before the attack of October 7. In a letter distributed to the unit, Sariel admitted to the 'failure' of the October 7 attack, saying: 'The information we collected and distributed to the various agencies regarding Hamas's plans and preparations failed,' according to the Israel Hayom newspaper. He pointed out that he "did not accomplish the mission as he expected of himself, nor as the officials and the Israelis expected of him," adding: "I seek to fulfill my responsibility as commander of the unit, and I will pass the baton to my successor." In February 2021, General Sariel took command of this unit, which is seen as having failed in the October 7 attack. Sariel is the second senior officer in the Intelligence Corps to decide to resign over its failures in the October a ttack, after its former head, Major General Aharon Haliva. The largest unit Unit 8200 is the main intelligence unit in the Israeli army, and is one of the oldest units, as it was established after the Nakba of 1948. The unit has a primary mission, which is to provide the Israeli government and army with intelligence warnings and alerts on a daily basis, and during wars to confront threats. 8200 is the largest unit in the Israeli military, and is responsible for collecting all electronic intelligence, by tracking phone calls, text messages, and emails, according to the Times of Israel. The unit was recently accused of "failing" to prevent the Hamas attack on southern Israel on October 7. The Israeli Broadcasting Corporation reported at the time that "Unit 8200 was not operating on the morning of the attack, following a decision taken two years ago to reduce the number of personnel and stop its work during the night and on weekends," according to the Times of Israel. The decision resulted in a significan t reduction in the unit's personnel and operational activities on the Gaza border, and all operations at night and on weekends were halted. Last April, the British newspaper The Guardian also revealed the identity of the commander of Unit 8200 by tracing a digital trail linked to a book discussing war and artificial intelligence, which the officer published on the Amazon website. The newspaper reported the name of the officer who heads the secret elite unit, but after his identity was revealed, the Israeli media did not publish his name due to military censorship guidelines. The book at the centre of what The Guardian described as an 'embarrassing security lapse' is The Human Machine Team, published in 2020 and authored by the pseudonym Brigadier Y.S. 'offers a radical vision of how artificial intelligence could transform the relationship between military personnel and machines.' Sariel's resignation comes a week after the head of the intelligence division in the police unit known as "Lahav 433", Dror Ass araf, announced his intention to leave his position after 35 years of service, and the commander of the Northern Police District, Major General Shuki Tahauka, said he would resign after only two years in office. According to the Israeli Broadcasting Corporation, "Makan", 6 senior police officers have resigned since the beginning of this year. Source: Maan News Agency