The Mossad: Israel's Eyes and Ears all over the World

The Mossad: Israel’s Eyes and Ears all over the World

Photo courtesy of the Israel Defense Forces Facebook Page

In the wake of the terrorist attack on a tour bus carrying Israelis last week in Burgas, Bulgaria, news agencies reported that the Mossad  joined U.S. and local intelligence services in their attempt to determine the origin of the perpetrators. That information came as no surprise to those who follow Israel’s intelligence community.  Indeed the only surprise was that out of countless terror attempts that are launched against Israeli interests, this time the criminals succeeded.  Through its 60 year history, the Mossad has earned the reputation of being Israel’s eyes and ears all over the world.

Commenting on the attack, an Israeli official said, “the Burgas attack was part of an intensive wave of terrorist attacks around the world carried out by two distinct organizations, the Iranian Quds Force, an elite international operations unit within Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps, and Hezbollah.”  “This attack”, he added, “had the modus operandi of the later.”

This attack occurred two weeks before the opening of the Olympic games in London.  The Olympics stir terribly mixed emotions in the minds of the Israeli public.  This is the 40^th anniversary of the murder of eleven Israeli athletes at the 1972 competition, an event which lives in infamy.  No less significant is the concern that Israelis visiting London as well as its athletes competing in the games could be targeted once again by Islamic terrorist fanatics. 

One of the Mossad’s most effective weapons is the element of surprise and unpredictability.  So no one is privy to what its members are planning.  But with rumors and news reports that police are hunting throughout Europe for the terrorists’ accomplices. What they are doing and how they are doing it is anybody’s guess, but Israelis have learned to put their trust and faith in the Mossad. 

What we do know is that the Mossad has a number of departments, of which the so called, “Collections Dept.”, with offices all over the world and charged with collecting intelligence information, is the largest.  The department consists of a number of desks which are responsible for specific geographical regions, directing case officers based at "stations" around the world, and the agents they control.

Mossad activities and investigation most often take advantage of some of the most high tech tools available, many of which are designed and produced by Mossad itself.  One analyst summed up their methods as a combination of cunning and hi tech, that is the formula for Mossad's success in most projects it undertakes.

So, as Israelis use the remainder of the summer vacation time to tour, travel and enjoy a break from the hectic pace of their normal lives, they will be relying on the Mossad to keep a keen open eye on the potential dangers that can entrap them, wherever they are and assure them that they will vacation in security and return to Israel safely.