DAY 394 OF THE WAR: IDF Captures Member of the Iranian Guard in Syria, Update on Security Scandal, Government Works to Support Ultra-Orthodox Draft Evaders

Tel Aviv Diary, November 3, 2024

Once again, we awoke to the somber news that another soldier had died in Gaza, following a grenade explosion. Details about the incident have not yet been released. Additionally, Eduard Sololov, a 57-year-old father of four who was wounded in a drone attack last week, has succumbed to his injuries.

Today witnessed another series of rocket barrages from the North, though the attacks were smaller, a trend that has been noticeable in recent weeks. It appears that Hezbollah is limiting the number of rockets it fires at Israel due to a dwindling inventory of rockets and missiles. Just a week ago, Defense Minister Gallant reported that 80% of Hezbollah’s rockets had already been launched. Additionally, several drone attacks occurred today; two of the salvos forced residents in the North, reaching as far as Haifa, to remain in bomb shelters for nearly half an hour. One drone was shot down off the coast of Caesarea by a Navy ship, while another was intercepted near Yokneam.

The IDF has announced that members of the Egoz Elite Combat Brigade captured an Iranian Revolutionary Guard operative in Syria, who was collecting intelligence on Israel. It’s interesting to note that the Army is now publicizing operations that would have previously remained confidential. Currently, there appears to be minimal concern about further provoking the Iranians. Just yesterday, we confirmed a mission in Lebanon to capture a senior Hezbollah fighter, and today, an Iranian operative. For years, IDF Special Forces have been conducting significant operations across the Middle East, and now we are openly acknowledging these actions.

UPDATE ON A MAJOR SECURITY SCANDAL

Further details have surfaced regarding the recent Israeli security scandal. The scandal began with the publication of classified documents by Germany's Bild and the Jewish Chronicle in the United Kingdom. According to one document, Sinwar allegedly planned to flee to Egypt with the hostages, while another suggested his intention to incite internal conflict over the hostages. In response to these foreign disclosures, the IDF’s Intelligence Division initiated an investigation into the source of the leaks. Facing difficulties in pinpointing the source, they sought help from the Shin Bet (Shabak, General Security Service), known for its extensive expertise in handling such matters.

The Shin Bet investigation successfully traced the leak to two individuals within the intelligence community and to Eli Feldstein, who was serving as Netanyahu’s spokesperson—despite lacking the requisite security clearance. Feldstein appears to have shared the classified documents with foreign contacts, using them to sway Israeli public opinion by casting doubt on the feasibility of a hostage agreement. The primary allegation against him is the unauthorized handling of classified Army documents.

Since the allegations surfaced, Netanyahu’s office has released statements asserting that Feldstein had no substantive ties to the Prime Minister's Office. However, this defense has been met with skepticism from reporters, many of whom have had personal interactions with Feldstein. Additionally, there are numerous photographs of him with Netanyahu, which further casts doubt on the claims of his lack of connection.

The court granted the Shin Bet’s request to extend the detention of the suspects by an additional eight days for further interrogation. The court also emphasized that by leaking these documents, the suspects had compromised confidential intelligence sources, thereby jeopardizing Israel’s security and undermining the IDF’s ability to succeed in the war.

I want to share a post that Sefi Ovadia, one of Israel’s most respected political reporters, wrote tonight regarding this security scandal:

This situation must not be normalized like everything else. It’s hard to imagine anything more severe than the current investigation. According to suspicion, an operation was orchestrated from the Prime Minister’s office involved stealing sensitive intelligence material from the IDF Intelligence Corps (AMAN). The exposure of this material endangered sources critical to saving Israeli lives. In order to undermine the demands for the hostages return home, those responsible not only continued to abandon the hostages, but also endangered the lives of additional Israeli soldiers and civilians. This represents a level of heartlessness at the highest and most dangerous level. Our lives and well-being are being treated as expendable.

HOSTAGES

David Barnea, Head of the Mossad, and Gal Hirsch, the government representative responsible for the hostages, met with the families of the hostages. Barnea and Hirsch essentially conveyed that although there is someone in Hamas with whom to negotiate [meaning, post-Sinwar], there are no substantial issues to discuss—as long as Hamas insists on ending the war as a condition. To describe the families of the hostages as feeling hopeless would be a gross understatement.

LAW TO GUARANTEE DAYCARE SUBSIDIES

The government also passed what is known as the "Daycare Subsidy Law," designed to sidestep the High Court's ruling that those not serving in the military should not receive government support. Consequently, the daycare subsidies previously granted to yeshiva students for their children were discontinued. In response, the ultra-Orthodox community demanded the reinstatement of these subsidies.

Today, the government's legislative committee approved a new law to restore daycare subsidies for yeshiva students. Despite the Attorney General's declaration that this law is essentially unconstitutional, the government continues to support it. At this point, the government frequently disregards its chief legal advisor—a practice rarely seen in previous administrations.

HIGH-TECH SECTOR ASSOCIATION’S SOLUTION FOR AIR TRAVEL TO AND FROM US

Following a series of flight cancellations that have impacted Israel's beleaguered travel industry, El Al remains the only airline offering direct flights to the U.S. America’s Delta Airline was the latest latest to announce a suspension of its flights to Israel until the end of March 2025— joining American Airlines, which has already removed Israel as a destination for next year, and United Airlines, which previously announced it would not be returning to Israel in the coming year.

The suspension by Delta has added further pressure on El Al’s already in-demand direct routes to the U.S., resulting in typical market-driven price increases. Although El Al has capped the maximum ticket prices, high demand means that lower-priced tickets are purchased quickly, often leaving only more expensive options available. Additionally, economy class tickets sometimes sell out completely, leaving only premium class tickets, which are not subject to the same price caps. For example, the cheapest round-trip ticket on the airline’s website for December is $1,343, with few seats available at that rate, while most tickets are priced higher.

Israel’s high-tech sector’s association announced that it is negotiating the establishment of a seasonal flight route between Israel and the U.S. from January to March, with the intention of making it accessible to the general public. Representatives from the sector reported that flight cancellations have significantly affected business operations and investor relations. They are currently in commercial discussions with several airlines and are optimistic about overcoming bureaucratic hurdles.

In fact, they expressed surprise at the relative ease of the process and criticized the Ministry of Transportation for its lack of action on the matter. The high-tech representatives stated,

There is a real, ongoing shortage of flights, and currently there are no solutions for those who need to travel to the U.S. There’s no availability, and prices are sky-high. We decided not to wait for solutions from the Ministry of Transportation and to create them ourselves. Of course, we are opening this option to the general public, and we hope to begin selling tickets through travel agents in the coming days. We commit to fair prices comparable to pre-war flights to the U.S. If demand is high, we will work to increase the number of flights.

According to the high-tech sector’s plan, ticket prices for the seasonal flights will be more affordable than those currently charged by airlines for direct flights between Israel and New York. Additionally, a portion of the proceeds will be donated to social causes and organizations focused on Israel’s recovery. These flights will operate directly on a weekly basis, departing from Israel at midnight and arrive at Newark Airport early the following morning on set days, including one weekend flight. The goal is to offer up to 36 weekly flights on a wet lease basis, with the initial commitment covering three full months of operation from January 2025 to March 2025, with the possibility of extending the service depending on demand.

BUSINESS

The cybersecurity company Noma, which develops a platform for AI security, has raised $25 million in a Series-A funding round. Ballistic Ventures led the round and comes less than a year after a $7 million seed round led by Glilot Capital Partners, with participation from the Cyber Club of London. Dozens of strategic private investors participated across rounds, including heads of information security departments from McDonald’s, Google Deepmind, X (formerly Twitter), Atlassian, T-Mobile, BNP Paribas, and Nielsen, as well as prominent industry entrepreneurs such as Zohar Alon, founder of Dome9 Security; Ofer Ben Noon and Ohad Bobrov, founders of Talon; Guy Nizan, CEO of IntSights; Gal Ben David, former CTO of IntSights; Ronen Zoran, former CRO of CyberArk; Aaron Badhwar, who built and led Prisma Cloud; and Manoj Apte, former Chief Strategy Officer at Zscaler.

Noma was founded in 2023 by Niv Brown (CEO) and Alon Tron (CTO), who previously served together in Unit 8200. The company has contributed to creating standards for AI security and has helped shape U.S. government policy on AI security. Noma currently employs 20 people in offices in Israel and the United States, with plans to double its workforce in the coming year.

Noma is also launching a security platform for application development encompassing all data and AI stages – from development to production. The platform performs checks across the data supply chain and other tools, identifies unscanned code and configuration issues with AI tools, assesses the security and reliability of models, prevents the training of sensitive information on models, detects threats, and provides response capabilities, all while ensuring compliance with regulations.

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A PIECE OF HISTORY

Operation Cast Lead

In August 2007, a major yet largely unnoticed shift occurred in U.S. - Israeli relations: an American radar and communications center, staffed by American personnel was permanently deployed in Israel. This system is directly linked to the U.S. global satellite network, equipping Israel with the ability to detect an Iranian missile launch in real-time. With the installation of this new system, Israel’s warning time in the event of a launch from Iran has doubled to 12 minutes, a substantial improvement from the previous capability.

In September 2008, the Kadima party held primaries to determine who would replace Ehud Olmert, as party leader and candidate for Prime Minister. As anticipated, Tzipi Livni won. She was charged with forming a government but ultimately failed when the Shas party declined to join her coalition. In hindsight, it was understood that this refusal stemmed from a secret agreement with Netanyahu, prompting Shas to make exorbitant demands that Livni could not accept. Consequently, Livni was forced to call for new elections, scheduled for February. In the meantime, Olmert remained interim Prime Minister.

In October and November 2008, rocket attacks on S’derot increased significantly, with up to 70 rockets recorded on some days. Israel attempted to curb these attacks by halting the flow of goods and fuel to Gaza, which had some effect, but international pressure dissuaded Israel from continuing this tactic. As no other alternatives seemed viable to stop the rocket fire, it was decided that significant military action against Hamas in Gaza was necessary.

On December 27, 2008, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) launched Operation Cast Lead. The initial phase of the operation focused on dismantling Hamas' military infrastructure, targeting rocket launch sites, tunnels, and weapon stockpiles. During the initial strikes, the Air Force focused on dismantling Hamas’ military infrastructure, including rocket launch sites, tunnels, and weapon stockpiles. In the first attacks the Air Force killed 220 Hamas members, catching a large number of them by surprise.

In this war Israel intensified its efforts in information warfare. Defense Minister Barak in the opening days of the war gave dozens of interviews to foreign press. In the initial days of the war, Defense Minister Ehud Barak gave dozens of interviews to the international press. Barak stated, “there is time for restraint and there is a time to fight... this is the time to fight.” Livni made it clear that Israel does not want to harm the Palestinian resident of Gaza, but acknowledged that, regrettably, in war innocents could die. Both leaders made it clear that they warned Hamas that if they continued down the road they had followed the past week, war would result.

After two days of air and naval operations, the IDF launched a ground invasion on January 3, 2009. Supported by aerial and naval cover, the ground forces advanced into Gaza to seize control of Hamas' launch areas and prevent further attacks. They encountered numerous booby-trapped buildings and weapons caches, capturing and interrogating several Hamas operatives. During the ground phase, maps were discovered that detailed Hamas' traps and operational zones, revealing extensive military fortifications within civilian areas.

On January 15, 2009, as the operation was drawing to a close, an Israeli airstrike killed Said Seyam, the Hamas Interior Minister, who played a crucial role in Gaza’s security apparatus. The airstrikes dismantled some of Hamas’ tunnel networks, which served as supply routes and escape paths, delivering a significant, albeit temporary, setback to the organization’s operational capabilities. This strategic weakening of Hamas led to a decrease in the frequency of rocket attacks on Israeli territory, achieving one of the main goals of the operation.

The international response to Operation Cast Lead sparked significant controversy, notably due to the Goldstone Report, which initially accused Israel of potential war crimes. However, in April 2011, Judge Richard Goldstone partially retracted his earlier findings, recognizing that the IDF had implemented procedures to minimize civilian casualties and criticizing Hamas for violating the laws of warfare. Despite Judge Goldstone’s reversal, the retraction received far less media attention than the original allegations.

Today’s Zoom Briefing