Ex-Official Disputes War Warnings Before October 7th
Translated & summarized from Maariv by baba
Erez Wiener, a former commander at Southern Command, denied that security officials warned the Prime Minister of an impending war before October 7th. He criticized Avi Gill, the former Military Secretary, for speaking to the media and presenting a one-sided account. Wiener revealed that extreme war scenarios were discussed in simulations, but intelligence was not widely shared, and even on October 7th, key officers received updates from outside their command.
The story in 6 lines · by baba
- Erez Wiener denied that security officials warned the Prime Minister of an impending war before October 7th.
- Wiener criticized former Military Secretary Avi Gill for speaking to the media and presenting a one-sided account.
- He stated that extreme war scenarios were discussed in simulations at Southern Command.
- Wiener revealed intelligence was not widely shared among leadership before the attack.
- On October 7th, the Southern Command's Operations Officer received an update from the Shin Bet, not his command.
- An intelligence officer dismissed extreme war game scenarios as irrelevant before the attack.
Erez Wiener, former Commander of the Planning Division at Southern Command, has strongly refuted claims that security officials warned the Prime Minister about an impending war prior to the October 7th Hamas attack. Wiener stated that such assertions are illogical given the system's behavior and that he, being present and involved in war assessments, can confirm no such warnings were issued. He specifically criticized Avi Gill, the former Military Secretary, for speaking to the media and presenting a one-sided account, especially so close to an election.
Wiener recounted that during a war game simulation shortly after a new general, Finkelman, took command, he proposed exploring extreme scenarios. He revealed that the intelligence plan known as 'Jericho Walls,' which was familiar to Aman (Military Intelligence), was not known to him or the Southern Command leadership. He expressed frustration that specialized units seemed to hoard intelligence, not sharing it widely.
Further illustrating the intelligence disconnect, Wiener noted that on the morning of October 7th, the Southern Command's Operations Officer received an update from the Shin Bet, not from his own command's intelligence officer. He also shared an anecdote from one of the war games where the command's intelligence officer, after witnessing the extreme scenarios, dismissed them as irrelevant, stating they were only a quarter of what actually occurred on October 7th. Wiener concluded that claiming warnings were given before the attack insults intelligence.
