Israeli Intelligence Commander Resigns, Citing Responsibility for October 7 Attack
Brigadier General Yossi Sariel, the former head of Israel’s elite 8200 intelligence unit, has resigned, citing personal responsibility for failing to prevent the devastating Hamas attack on October 7, 2023, CNN reports.
The attack, which killed over 1,200 Israelis and resulted in the capture of over 250 hostages, was the deadliest attack on Jews since the Holocaust.
Sariel’s resignation, announced by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), follows a wave of public criticism directed at Israel’s intelligence and security agencies for their failure to anticipate the attack.
“On October 7th at 06:29 I did not fulfill the task as I expected of myself, those at my command and commanders expected me and the citizens of the state I love so much,” Sariel wrote in a letter reportedly sent to his superiors.
Sariel’s resignation comes amidst a cascade of accountability from top officials. Earlier this month, the head of Israel’s domestic security agency, Shin Bet, Ronan Bar, took responsibility for the intelligence failure.
“Despite a series of actions we carried out, we weren’t able to create a sufficient warning that would allow the attack to be thwarted,” he said.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also faced public criticism for his handling of the situation. He initially blamed security chiefs for failing to warn him about the impending attack, a statement he later retracted.
