Hyderabad: The head of Israeli military intelligence on Monday resigned over failures surrounding the devastating Hamas-led attack on Israel on October 7, the military said.
Major General Aharon Haliva accepted responsibility for failing to foresee and prevent the attack. History tells us that there are ample such instances of intelligence heads resigning over failures. A list of the cases follows:
Russian Invasion of Ukraine and French military intelligence chief's resignation
March 31, 2022: The head of French military intelligence, Gen Eric Vidaud, resigned after failing to predict Russia's war in Ukraine. Seven months after he took on the role, one report stated he was blamed for "inadequate briefings" and a "lack of mastery of subjects". The US correctly assessed that Russia was planning a large-scale invasion, while France concluded it was unlikely. Gen Vidaud was blamed for this.
2019 April Easter Bombing Sri Lanka
June 9, 2019 : Sri Lanka's national intelligence chief Sisira Mendis stepped down from his post in the wake of Easter Sunday bombings that killed over 250 people in April.
2015 Denmark Terror attacks
May 6, 2015: The head of Denmark’s intelligence agency resigned as an investigation criticised parts of the police response to February’s deadly twin attacks in Copenhagen.
November 2008 Mumbai Terror attacks
- November 30, 2008: National Security Adviser (NSA), MK Narayanan resigned following the Mumbai terror attacks but the then Prime Minister Manmohan Singh rejected his resignation. "He (Narayanan) will not be stepping down as the NSA," a home ministry official said.
- November 26, 2008: Indian RAW chief offered to resign on the evening of November 27, 2008, a day after the heinous terror attacks in Mumbai referred to as 26/11. Research and Analysis Wing (R&AW) secretary Ashok Chaturvedi met Manmohan Singh and offered to step down for his failure to prevent the multiple terror strike that led to the deaths of 166 people and injured 293 others.
- May 21, 2010: US President Barack Obama's national intelligence director resigned after a 16-month tenure marked by a series of security failures. Adm Dennis Blair said he had informed the president of his resignation. Mr, Blair, Director of National Intelligence (DNI), the apex intelligence body overseeing as many as 17 different intelligence agencies of the United States. His term of office saw the Fort Hood shooting, the Christmas Day bomb plot and the Times Square car bomb plot.
September 11, 2001 attack and 2003 US invasion of Iraq
June 4, 2004: The director of the CIA, George Tenet, resigned abruptly after months of intense criticism for intelligence failures in the run-up to the September 11, 2001 attacks and the 2003 invasion of Iraq.
Read more
- Suspecting 'Possible Terror Attack', Israel Issues Travel Warning For India
- No Evidence That Ukrainian Government Had Anything To Do With Moscow Attack: US
- Moscow Attack: Russian Embassy In India Opens Online Book To Post Condolence Messages To Kin Of Dead
