Facts You Never Knew About Israeli Intelligence Agency ‘Mossad’

Mossad, the Israeli Intelligence Agency happens to be one of most powerful and well trained agency in the world.

Mossad (/məˈsæd/; Hebrew: הַמּוֹסָד‎, IPA: [ha moˈsad]; Arabic: الموساد‎, al-Mōsād, IPA: [almoːˈsaːd]; lit. The Institute), short for HaMossad leModiʿin uleTafkidim Meyuḥadim (Hebrew: המוסד למודיעין ולתפקידים מיוחדים‎, meaning ‘Institute for Intelligence and Special Operations’), is the national intelligence agency of Israel. It is one of the main entities in the Israeli Intelligence Community, along with Aman (military intelligence) and Shin Bet (internal security).

Mossad is responsible for intelligence collection, covert operations, and counter-terrorism. Mossad is separate from Israel’s democratic institutions. Because no law defines its purpose, objectives, roles, missions, powers or budget and because it is exempt from the constitutional laws of the State of Israel Mossad has been described as a deep state. Its director answers directly and only to the Prime Minister. Its annual budget is estimated to be around 10 billion shekels (US$2.73 billion) and it is estimated that it employs around 7,000 people directly, making it the second-largest espionage agency in the Western world, after the American CIA.

Organization

Executive offices

The largest department of Mossad is Collections, tasked with many aspects of conducting espionage overseas. Employees in the Collections Department operate under a variety of covers, including diplomatic and unofficial. The Political Action and Liaison Department is responsible for working with allied foreign intelligence services, and nations that have no normal diplomatic relations with Israel. Additionally, Mossad has a Research Department, tasked with intelligence production, and a Technology Department concerned with the development of tools for Mossad activities.

History

Mossad was formed on December 13, 1949, as the Central Institute for Coordination at the recommendation of Prime Minister David Ben-Gurion to Reuven Shiloah. Ben Gurion wanted a central body to coordinate and improve cooperation between the existing security services—the army’s intelligence department (AMAN), the Internal Security Service (Shin Bet), and the foreign office’s “political department”. In March 1951, it was reorganized and made a part of the prime minister’s office, reporting directly to the prime minister.

Motto

Mossad’s former motto, be-tachbūlōt ta`aseh lekhā milchāmāh (Hebrew: בתחבולות תעשה לך מלחמה‎) is a quote from the Bible (Proverbs 24:6): “For by wise guidance you can wage your war” (NRSV). The motto was later changed to another Proverbs passage: be-‘éyn tachbūlōt yippol `ām; ū-teshū`āh be-rov yō’éts (Hebrew: באין תחבולות יפול עם, ותשועה ברוב יועץ‎, Proverbs 11:14). This is translated by NRSV as: “Where there is no guidance, a nation falls, but in an abundance of counselors there is safety.”

Counter-terrorist units

Metsada

Metsada is a unit responsible for attacking the enemy. Metsada runs “small units of combatants” whose missions include “assassinations and sabotage”.

Kidon

The Kidon is a unit which belongs to the Caesarea department (one of Mossad’s eight departments). It is described by Yaakov Katz as “an elite group of expert assassins who operate under the Caesarea branch of the espionage organization. Not much is known about this mysterious unit, details of which are some of the most closely guarded secrets in the Israeli intelligence community.” It recruits from “former soldiers from the elite IDF special force units.” This unit has been a part of Israel’s policy of assassinations, which according to Ronen Bergman is a policy that Israel has used more than any other country in the West since World War II, stating it has carried out at least 2,700 assassination missions.

Venture capital

Mossad has opened a venture capital fund, in order to invest in hi-tech startups to develop new cyber technologies. The names of technology startups funded by Mossad will not be published.

Operation Harpoon

Together with Shurat HaDin, they started Operation Harpoon, for ”destroying terrorists’ money networks.”