IDF’s Military Intelligence switches focus from Iran to coronavirus

APRIL 7, 2020 14:14

Troops in Israel’s Military Intelligence Directorate have refocused their research from enemies like Iran and Hezbollah to the deadly coronavirus, which has killed 60 Israelis in the past month.

When the virus took hold in Israel, officers and troops from the Military Intelligence Directorate’s Research Division and Unit 8200 opened a national coronavirus information center at Tel Hashomer Hospital, to work with the Health Ministry in order to help stop the spread of the virus.

“We understood last month that there is a gap in the information we have on the virus and that we needed to understand it,” said Col. N, the Commander of Military Intelligence’s Technology Department that specializes in analysis of the enemy’s technology and weaponry.

According to Col. N, whose name can’t be shared due to security reasons, some 300 officers and troops from the research division – “who used to do something completely different” – have been working around the clock to gather all available data on the disease.

“Over the past month we have been focused on a new enemy: corona,” he said.

Using the military’s capabilities to gather intelligence, they gather all available information on the virus from across the globe – such as official government statistics, academic research, social media and fake news, as well as artificial intelligence and machine learning – to help the government, Health Ministry and the IDF’s Home Front Command make critical decisions.

Col. N told The Jerusalem Post that between 15-20 officers are in charge of over a dozen soldiers who focus on specific questions, speak with sources around the world and look at the statistics of the virus. Within a day or two can have the answer they are looking for.

From the research compiled by the center, virus hot spots such as synagogues were discovered and led to the decision to close them.

While the majority of the troops don’t have any medical knowledge, they are working closely with doctors and researchers of the Health Ministry.

“After a month in the business, you understand the language,” Col. N said.

Israel’s military has been at the forefront of the fight against the deadly virus, with thousands of troops taking part in various aspects of this unprecedented battle.

With Iran among the countries hardest hit by the coronavirus, having thousands of people dying and hundreds of thousands more sick, including several senior government officials, there has been a decrease in hostile enemy activity targeting Israel.

Speaking to reporters by phone in early March, IDF spokesman Brig.-Gen. Hidai Zilberman said that the spread of the virus has affected Israel’s enemies, who have decreased their hostile activities to focus on containing it.

While he did not refer to Iran by name, he said that “there are enemy countries which have been hit much more strongly than us by corona, and therefore their activities have decreased.”