Israel Planted Wall Street Journal Leak Claiming Iran Ordered Gaza Attack WSJ falsely claimed Iran met secretly with Hezbollah and Hamas leaders in Lebanon, and directed the southern Israel invasion

The Wall Street Journal published a report that Iran ordered the Hamas invasion of southern Israel.  It claimed that Iranian, Hezbollah and Hamas sources told them of secret meetings of top leadership in which Iran planned the attack and approved the operation.

An Israeli security source directly contradicts the article.  He says that the WSJ identification of its sources was false.  Either Israel duped the reporters into believing they were who they claimed to be. Or the Israeli source offered the leak on condition the sources be [falsely] identified as they were in the article.

The source says that it was a “planted leak” by Israel to deflect blame for the security debacle, which has cost over 1,000 Israeli lives, including 156 IDF soldiers, and left 120 held hostage in Gaza.  11 Americans were among the dead, with several others held hostage.  He adds that if there were such meetings, Israeli and US signals intelligence would have picked up word of them.  They, in turn, would have warned Israel of the pending invasion.  But in fact, the IDF was caught completely unaware.

As to who planted the leak: there is only one possible source, Netanyahu himself or the prime minister’s office.  They have the most to gain from the WSJ story.  In addition, there are few figures left in the IDF or intelligence community who would do his dirty work, covering for him in this fashion.

Another aspect of the story which raises skepticism: why would three powerful enemies of Israel and the US offer a story to a leading pro-Israel, right-wing US newspaper?  It simply makes no sense.

But there is a source that makes sense: the one I mentioned above.  Netanyahu and the Journal have ideological affinity.  The latter has a pipeline to just the sort of MAGA Republicans who would eat this story up.  That in turn gives them ammunition to use against Biden, another enemy of the Israeli leader. Thus, he kills two [or three] birds with one stone: he helps his Republican allies, hurts Biden, and invokes the Iranian bogeyman for the consumption of his own domestic followers.

Israeli journalist, Amir Oren, has offered a motive for Israel to provoke suspicions of Iranian involvement: Israelis are raising a hue and cry against Netanyahu, blaming him for the greatest Israeli security breach in Israel’s history; and the highest loss of civilian lives since the 1948 war.

The Israeli leader is a master tactician. He understands that he must do something to deflect criticism.  If he can blame Iran for the attack, it lessens Israeli anger.  Israelis are dumbfounded that Hamas, which they saw as a minor threat, could fool the IDF and Shin Bet so thoroughly, and perpetrate such a disaster.  If Israelis believe Iran was the hidden hand, they will find this a more credible explanation of the systemic breach of Israeli defenses.

Further, if Netanyahu could ratchet up tensions in the north, provoking clashes with Hezbollah which the IDF repelled, as happened in the past few days, he could further divert attention from the failures over which he presided.

3/ הכחשת המידע שנשתל מירושלים בוול סטריט ג׳ורנל בדבר מעורבוץת איראנית נקודתית, להבדיל מהשראה כללית, בפלישת חמאס לנגב, משקפת חשש בוושינגטון פן נתניהו ינסה לחפות על כשלונו מול חמאס בהסלמה רבתי מול איראן, שתגרור הסתבכות אמריקאית. כל זה, כשבקדימה עליונה שלום החטופים האמריקאים.

— אמיר אורן – Amir Oren (@Rimanero) October 10, 2023

Oren’s tweet:

The denial of the information, planted from Jerusalem, in the Wall Street Journal regarding specific Iranian involvement–as opposed to general inspiration for the Hamas invasion of the Negev–reflects a fear in Washington, lest Netanyahu try to cover up his failure against Hamas through a major escalation against Iran. This could, in turn, lead to American involvement. All this, with the safety of the American hostages at the top priority.

He’s referring to statements by Secretary of State Blinken and other officials that they have no proof of Iranian involvement. The BBC elaborates on US denials:

A report in the Wall Street Journal quotes unnamed members of Hamas and the Lebanese guerrilla movement Hezbollah as saying that Iran gave the go-ahead for the attack a week ago.

But a senior defence official in Washington later said that the US had “no information at this time” to corroborate specific allegations of an Iranian role in the attacks…The US says it had “not yet” seen evidence Iran was behind the attacks.

The BBC story quotes an Israeli Iran expert at Tel Aviv University:

…The decision to attack, Mr Raz said, was taken “by Hamas, based on its own interests, arising from the Palestinian reality…Does Hamas need Iranian permission to operate? No.”

Blinken’s comments are a tacit refutation of the claims in the WSJ article.  The US knows that the basis of the report is false. It knows who planted it.  It wants to deny Netanyahu the opportunity to escalate tensions in the region and deflect from his own personal responsibility.

Oren expands on US mistrust of Netanyahu and its efforts to exert control on Israel’s impending Gaza invasion:

2/ ביידן ואוסטין מצפים מנתניהו וגלנט להעלות לאישורם תוכניות מיבצעיות – לצד הסיוע מגבלות לשימוש באמל״ח אמריקאי בסביבה רוויית אזרחים. ביידן מנווט בשדה מוקשים. טראמפ וחקייניו מטיחים בו אשמת שווא על עידוד חמאס באמצעות הפשרת כספי איראן, אך אם יתיר לישראל הרג המוני בעזה יותקף משמאל.

— אמיר אורן – Amir Oren (@Rimanero) October 10, 2023

Translation:

Biden and [Secretary of Defense] Austin expect Netanyahu and Gallant to submit operational plans for their approval – including restrictions on the use of American weapons [offered to the Israelis] in an environment saturated with civilians. Biden is navigating a minefield. Trump and his [GOP] imitators falsely accuse him [Biden] of encouraging Hamas by releasing Iran’s funds [$6-billion in South Korean oil funds due Iran], but if he allows Israel to commit mass killings in Gaza he will be attacked from the left.

At least this indicates Biden seeks to exert some restraint on Israel.  It somewhat tempers the full-throated public support he voiced a few days ago.  But the idea that anyone can restrain Israel via such constraints is misguided.  Once the US weapons are in US hands, it will likely use them as it sees fit; and deal with any US blowback later.  It’s the Israeli way.

The Defense Department briefing by a US general further underscores the vacuous assurances that US weapons will be used appropriately:

We are always urging our Israeli partners, as we do any partner, to avoid civilian casualties.

Bibi’s cronies seek to restore his security credentials

Oren adds to his reporting on Netanyahu’s attempt to redeem his reputation as Mister Security with the following tweet:

1/ לא יסופר כי ייאמן. גירסתן של מקורבות לנתניהו: ״רה״מ (לא ׳ביבי׳) מציל את ישראל. ממש מציל. הוא יורד לבור, עובר על התוכניות, מסתכל במפות ומלמד את הצבא מה לעשות״. כל מילה – ציטטה.
עד כאן עובדות. מכאן היקש: נתניהו בונה שעיר לעזה, הרצי הלוי, מינוי של גנץ והרמטכ״ל שהמציל סירב לפגוש. pic.twitter.com/3kKAHWzQSx

— אמיר אורן – Amir Oren (@Rimanero) October 10, 2023

Translation:

If I told you, you wouldn’t believe it. The version of Netanyahu’s confidants: “The Prime Minister (not ‘Bibi’) is saving Israel.” A real savior. He goes down to the  into the trenches, approves plans, looks at maps and teaches the army what to do.’ Every word – a quote.

These are the purported facts. However they’re difficult to believe. Rather, Netanyahu is laying the groundwork for a sacrificial victim, Herzi Halevi, Gantz’s pick for Chief of Staff, the one whom the “savior” refused to meet.

As I wrote in yesterday’s post, Bibi has this down to a science: when in trouble, lay blame elsewhere. Deflect. Deny. Make shit up.  Whatever it takes so that it doesn’t come back and hit you in the face.