Head of Israeli Military Intelligence Resigns

The Israeli army announced today, Monday, the resignation of the head of military intelligence, General Aharon Haliva, after he acknowledged his "responsibility" for the failures during Operation "Sword of the Two Rivers" in October. The army stated in a press release that "General Aharon Haliva requested to step down from his position in coordination with the Chief of Staff for his leadership responsibility as head of the intelligence division regarding the events of October 7." Furthermore, it mentioned that Haliva will be retired as soon as his successor is appointed in an organized and professional manner. Major General Haliva indicated in his request his deep appreciation for the work of the soldiers serving in military intelligence during the war. The Chief of Staff thanked Major General Aharon Haliva for his 38 years of service in the Defense Forces, during which he contributed significantly as a fighter and leader in the state's security. Haliva took responsibility for the "failure of the surprise attack about a week and a half after the outbreak of the war," stating: "We failed in our most important mission, and as the head of military intelligence, I bear full responsibility for the failure." At that time, Haliva noted that "during all my visits to Israeli army units in the past days, I confirmed that the start of the war was an intelligence failure." He added, "The army, under my command, failed to warn of the attack carried out by Hamas."