The Israeli army announced on Monday the resignation of the head of military intelligence following his acknowledgment of responsibility for shortcomings during Hamas’ attack on southern Israel in October, which ignited the conflict in the Gaza Strip.
In a statement, the army declared that “General Aharon Haliva has requested to step down from his position in coordination with the Chief of Staff due to his leadership responsibility as head of military intelligence during the events of October 7th.”
Haliva will be retired “once his successor is appointed in an organized and professional manner,” according to the same source.
Last year, Haliva stated that he takes responsibility for the intelligence failures that allowed Hamas to launch an attack on Israel.
The military intelligence branch in Israel is subordinate to the General Staff of the army and is considered the largest intelligence agency, according to the Arab World News Agency.
The agency is tasked with providing the government with strategic assessments upon which public policies are formulated, particularly concerning conflict issues.