Internal Schisms and Blame Games: Operation Al-Aqsa Storm Shattering the Myth of Israel’s Invincibility
Over the course of the past 75 years, the Israeli regime has strategically employed calculated propaganda to project an image of military and security-intelligence prowess, aiming to deter Palestinians. This deliberate advertising campaign yielded fruitful results for several decades, as Israel spared no effort in perpetuating this fabricated image. Consequently, it successfully attracted Jewish immigrants to the occupied Palestinian territories by capitalizing on the image it had crafted.
The Israeli regime sought to present its army as invincible, thereby dissuading its adversaries from taking any military action against it. However, the recent Operation Al-Aqsa Storm unfolded in a way that shattered the Hollywood-like depictions of the Israeli army and posed a serious challenge to the myth of the regime's invincibility. In this unprecedented operation, Palestinian resistance troops not only launched rocket attacks but also made major ground advances. They managed to penetrate the multimillion-dollar Israeli separation, temporarily seizing several Israeli settlements in the southern Negev desert. This marked the first time that Palestinian resistance forces achieved territorial gains amidst heavy barrages of rockets.
Lt. Col. Richard Hecht, the spokesperson for the Israeli regime's army, admitted that this ground attack was a combination of paragliders, sea-based forces, and conventional land forces. The Operation Al-Aqsa Storm’s ramifications extended beyond the military domain, leading to mounting internal schisms among Israeli authorities. A key outcome of this Palestinian military feat was the dramatic shift in perception regarding Israel's vulnerability, which subsequently led to Benjamin Netanyahu himself receiving a storm of bitter opprobrium as they sought to assign blame for the success of the resistance forces during Operation Al-Aqsa Storm.
Today, Israeli authorities at the political, military, and security levels find themselves embroiled in a blame game, each attempting to hold the other accountable for the recent military debacle. Netanyahu, through a recent post on Platform X, instead of acknowledging responsibility, publicly blamed the heads of Aman and Shabak for the security gap. Netanyahu's statements provoked widespread criticism within Israeli society. Yair Lapid, the former Prime Minister and head of the opposition movement, condemned Netanyahu for violating all boundaries by blaming the soldiers engaged in warfare against Hamas and Hezbollah rather than offering them support. Lapid emphasized that evading responsibility and shifting blame onto the Ministry of War would further weaken the army's position against its enemies, calling for an immediate apology and resignation from Netanyahu.
Benny Gantz, a member of the Israeli regime's war cabinet, also demanded that Netanyahu retract his statements against the security services and cease accusing them of the failure on October 7th. The leader of the Labor Party, Merav Michaeli, lambasted Netanyahu for engaging in a war not only against Hamas but also against the Israeli army and the Israeli people, while he himself remained confined to his office. Later, due to the widespread criticism, Netanyahu deleted his post on Platform X.
The fate of Israeli captives, who were taken by Hamas during Operation Al-Aqsa Storm, has become uncertain due to the widening divisions among Israeli leaders. The Board of Prisoners and Missing Persons Affairs of the Israeli regime witnessed resignations stemming from a dispute over cooperation with Netanyahu regarding this particular case. Reports indicate that Netanyahu had previously ordered the formation of a special commission, led by Brigadier General Gal Hirsch, to investigate the situation of prisoners and missing persons during the operation led by the Palestinian resistance.
Yaakov Peri, the former head of the Israeli Intelligence and Internal Security Organization (Shabak), and David Meidan, the former head of the case of missing persons and prisoners, resigned in criticism of Netanyahu's cabinet's handling of the war, citing the utter incompetence of Netanyahu and his coterie of supporters.
Internal disputes have also contributed to Netanyahu's hesitancy in authorizing a large-scale ground invasion of the Gaza Strip. Although the Israeli regime has conducted "limited" and "targeted" ground operations to strike Hamas infrastructure and facilities in recent days, evidence suggests significant differences within the Israeli cabinet regarding the feasibility of executing all-out ground operations. The New York Times published a report stating that observers believe Netanyahu fears unilaterally authorizing such an operation due to declining public trust in his leadership, as he is apprehensive about potential blame should the operation fail.
Recent developments reveal that the severe shock inflicted on the Israeli regime has resulted in the partial collapse of its security system. Consequently, Israeli authorities find themselves in an untenable conundrum, struggling to make sound decisions and maintain control over the embarrassing situation.
Instead of accepting responsibility for the fiasco, the Zionist political elite engage in a blame game, accusing one another of incompetence and imprudence. The fundamental blows inflicted on Israel’s pillars of military power extend beyond the realm of security, highlighting the depth of damage to the hegemony of the Israeli regime. This devastating setback also reveals the meticulous planning behind Operation Al-Aqsa Storm and the extent to which it has challenged the established narrative of military dynamics in the emerging world order.
