Mossad, IDF blindsided by Gamliel’s Iran ‘eco-terror’ accusation

MARCH 4, 2021 11:21

Both the Mossad and the IDF were blindsided by Environmental Protection Minister Gila Gamliel’s accusation that Iran was behind the recent environmental disaster and oil spill that has hit Israel’s shores.

Defense sources said they could not confirm the veracity of Gamliel’s claims and said that neither the IDF nor the Mossad had been part of the investigation upon which the minister based her allegations. Officials said they were frustrated by the lack of coordination within the government.

On Wednesday night, Gamliel said that Iran intentionally polluted the Mediterranean Sea and Israel’s shores in an act of ecological terrorism, causing the greatest environmental disaster in Israel’s history.

“This pollution has people who are responsible for it and have to pay the price. Our nature is damaged, our animals are harmed, thanks to merciless environmental criminals,” Gamliel said.

It was unclear what Israeli channels Gamliel went through to obtain her information, verify it and decide to announce it without first discussing the issue with the IDF, the Navy and the Mossad – traditionally the organizations responsible for the Iran file.

Her accusation raised a number of questions, since even the slightest miscalculation could have led any intentional oil spill to hit Hamas in Gaza or Hezbollah in Lebanon.

On the other hand, Iran has failed at a number of recent attempts to retaliate against Israel for high-profile operations which it attributes to Jerusalem, so this could have led the Islamic Republic to attempt a high-risk and more out-of-the-box method of attack.