Expert Attributes Leak of Arab Leaders’ Secret Talks to Mossad Psychological Warfare

Dr. Ron Schleifer, a psychological warfare expert, believes the recent report about an Arab leader advising another to sign a deal to "put Israel to sleep" originates from Mossad as part of a deliberate psychological operation. In an interview with Channel 7, Schleifer explained that the identities of the two Arab leaders involved remain unknown and are less important than the strategic impact of the leak. He suggested Israel likely intercepted their conversation and chose to leak it through journalist Amit Segal, a right-leaning reporter at Israel’s most popular Channel 12, to maximize exposure.

Schleifer noted that typically such leaks would go to Ronen Bergman, but this story was deliberately given to Segal, signaling a new phase in Israeli intelligence operations. He outlined several benefits Israel gains from this move: the two Arab leaders, presumably senior officials, are now under intense pressure and fear exposure, which hampers their political initiatives. Additionally, the leak publicly demonstrates Israel’s technological superiority in intelligence gathering without overt military displays.

The psychological effect extends to increased paranoia among Arab leadership, who now realize their most secret conversations are monitored, further destabilizing their confidence. Schleifer pointed out that many Israelis understand such "putting to sleep" tactics as legitimate political tools, citing the peace agreement with Egypt that was violated shortly after signing. He praised Israel’s security apparatus, particularly Unit 8200 and the Mossad under Roman Gofman, for adopting psychological warfare strategies to meet evolving regional challenges.

Schleifer concluded that the leak, triggered by a trusted phone call to a reliable journalist, signals a positive shift in Israel’s approach to modern conflict, emphasizing psychological operations as a key component of national security.