Major General Aharon Haliva Takes Responsibility for Border Defense Failures

Major General Aharon Haliva, the outgoing head of military intelligence in Israel, admitted to the failures in defending the border during the deadly Oct. 7 attack. He called for a national investigation to understand the reasons behind the intelligence lapses that led to the war between Israel and Hamas.

At his resignation ceremony on Wednesday, Major General Aharon Haliva, Israel's outgoing head of military intelligence, accepted responsibility for the failures to defend the border on Oct. 7. Haliva, who served 38 years in the military, announced his resignation in April.

'The failure of the intelligence corps was my fault,' he stated, calling for a national investigation to deeply understand the causes that led to the war between Israel and Hamas. The attack severely damaged the reputation of Israel's military and intelligence services.

On the morning of Oct. 7, following a rocket barrage, thousands of Hamas fighters surged through security barriers, taking Israeli forces by surprise. The attack resulted in about 1,200 deaths and 250 captives. Despite accepting responsibility, Lieutenant-General Herzi Halevi and Shin Bet head Ronen Bar have remained in their posts while the conflict continues.

(With inputs from agencies.)