IDF's Military Intelligence adds coronavirus to list of 'enemy' targets

“Over the past month we have been focused on a new enemy: corona.”

By ANNA AHRONHEIM
Israel's Military Intelligence switches focus from Iran to coronavirus (photo credit: IDF SPOKESPERSON'S UNIT)
Israel's Military Intelligence switches focus from Iran to coronavirus
(photo credit: IDF SPOKESPERSON'S UNIT)
Troops in the Military Intelligence Directorate have refocused their research from enemies like Iran and Hezbollah to the deadly coronavirus, which has killed 60 Israelis in the past month.
When the virus took hold in Israel, officers and troops from the Research Division and Unit 8200 opened a national coronavirus information center at Sheba Medical Center to work with the Health Ministry to help stop the spread of the virus.
“We understood last month that there is a gap in the information we have on the virus and that we needed to understand it,” said Col. N., commander of Military Intelligence’s Technology Department, which specializes in analysis enemy technology and weaponry.
According to Col. N., whose name can’t be revealed due to security reasons, 300 officers and troops from the Research Division – “who used to do something completely different” – have been working around the clock to gather all available data on the disease.
“Over the past month we have been focused on a new enemy: the coronavirus,” he said.
Using the military’s capabilities to gather intelligence, they gather all available information on the virus from across the globe – such as official government statistics, academic research, social media and fake news, as well as artificial intelligence and machine learning – to help the government, Health Ministry and the IDF’s Home Front Command make critical decisions.
Col. N. told The Jerusalem Post that between 15-20 officers are in charge of over a dozen soldiers who focus on specific questions, speak with sources around the world and look at the statistics of the virus. Within a day or two, they can have the answer they are looking for.
From the research compiled by the center, virus hotspots such as synagogues were discovered, which led to the decision to close them.
While the majority of the troops don’t have any medical knowledge, they are working closely with Health Ministry doctors and researchers.
“After a month in the business, you understand the language,” Col. N. said.
The IDF has been at the forefront of the fight against the deadly virus, with thousands of troops taking part in various aspects of this unprecedented battle.
With Iran among the countries hardest hit by the coronavirus, there has been a decrease in hostile enemy activity targeting Israel.
Speaking to reporters by phone in early March, IDF Spokesman Brig.-Gen. Hidai Zilberman said the spread of the virus has affected Israel’s enemies, who have decreased their hostile activities to focus on containing it.
While he did not refer to Iran by name, he said “there are enemy countries that have been hit much more strongly than us by the coronavirus, and therefore their activities have decreased.”