The Israeli secret service is often cited as one of the most powerful spy services on the planet
The Mossad, Israel’s mysterious international intelligence agency, celebrated its 70th anniversary this Friday and is enjoying increasing popularity worldwide.
The Israeli secret service is often cited as one of the most powerful spy services on the planet.
And for good reason, since its founding on December 13, 1949, the Mossad has shown its capability in a number of complex, risky and successful operations.
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Among them, the kidnapping of Adolf Eichmann in Argentina in 1961; the hunt and targeted assassination campaign against the masterminds behind the Munich Olympics massacre; and the uncovering of tens of thousands of documents on Iran’s clandestine nuclear weapons program in 2018.
Currently led by agency director Yossi Cohen, the Mossad’s ability to perform these high-level operations can be partially explained by the unique and particular set circumstances Israel confronts to secure it own survival.
A small country surrounded by enemy states on almost every border, Israel’s security is a matter of life and death, with Mossad agents acting as a bulwark in the face of existential threats.
Established by the country’s founding father and first Prime Minister, David Ben-Gurion, the Mossad was originally commissioned to coordinate and improve cooperation between the existing security services—the IDF’s intelligence department (AMAN), Israel’s internal security service (Shin Bet), and the foreign office’s “political department.”
Some estimates places the agency’s annual budget at 10 billion shekels (US$2.73 billion), and is thought to employ around 7,000 people directly, making it the second-largest espionage service in the Western world, just behind the CIA.
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December 14, 2019
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