When Israel launched its attacks on Iran in the early morning of June 13, many news reports marvelled at the quality and ingenuity of its intelligence agencies in enabling the Israel Defense Forces to strike with such precision. But one element was not talked about in any detail: Israel’s network of relationships with other countries’ intelligence agencies and their contribution to these covert operations.
This cooperation, while critical, can come with a price. It inevitably means a degree of reliance on other countries. Intelligence partners can decide to stop cooperation at any point, which would leave Israel vulnerable to geopolitical shifts that could threaten these relationships and limit its striking capacities.
June’s surgical military interventions against Iran concluded a round of successes against its regional foes. These included the pager attack against Hezbollah in Lebanon as well as assassinations of top Hamas officials, including its political chief Ismail Haniyeh in Iran in July 2024.
