BICOM

What happened: The IDF published findings from an investigation that followed the killing of three soldiers by an Egyptian policeman ten days ago.

• The IDF concluded that several contributing factors led to the attack: an easily opened small emergency gate on the border barrier which was unknown to troops stationed in the area; an over-prioritisation of drug smuggling incidents; and excessively lengthy guard shifts.
• IDF Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi said that the army “conducted an exhaustive and in-depth investigation,” and along “with quality work, initiative and successes” also found “operational and command faults and gaps.”
• The chief of the IDF’s Southern Command, Maj. Gen. Eliezer Toledano, who probed the troops’ conduct said that “The special security passage was viewed by us as a hidden passage…” and “not updating the soldiers on this passage was a systemic failure.” He emphasised that this was a failure that lasted for several years, which unfortunately this incident brought to the fore.”
• While the army determined that it was essential to deploy soldiers in the region due to smuggling attempts and a large number of Israeli travellers, the report stated that splitting the soldiers into pairs, as well as the overly long duration of their defence missions – 12 hours – had to be considered and conducted differently. The IDF also said that no faults were found in the actions of the troops who had been killed.
• In its statement, the IDF noted that it would “refine the order of priorities established for the readiness for terror incidents and the readiness to deal with the frequent threat of smuggling in this area.”
• The IDF also determined that two commanders bore some responsibility. While Col. Ido Sa’ad, the commander of the Paran Brigade, acted correctly in engaging with and killing the Egyptian attacker, he was considered to “overall responsibility for the event and the manner by which operations are carried out in his area.” Sa’ad will thus be dismissed from his role and moved to another position within the IDF. Lt. Col. Ivan Kon, the commander of the Bardelas Battalion, will be formally reprimanded for his “responsibility for the implementation of the operating concept in his forces.”

Context: This is the first time in over 20 years that a brigade commander has been relieved of his post over an operational incident.

• The IDF report noted a series of operational errors and a failure to follow protocol.  The sense within the IDF is that improvements will be made to operational discipline and training for combat soldiers.
• Relative to other fronts, the 230km border with Egypt is considered relatively peaceful.  Israel and Egypt enjoy high level security cooperation, primarily focused on the shared threat of Islamist extremists, as well as coordination on their policy towards Hamas in the Gaza Strip.
• The incident on the 3rd June occurred when an Egyptian policeman entered Israeli territory through an emergency crossing in the border fence, subsequently killing Sergeant Lia Ben Nun and Staff Sgt. Ori Yitzhak Iluz. The last time anyone in the army heard from Ben Nun and Illouz was at 4:15 A.M. At 7:13 A.M., shots were heard in the area, yet the dead soldiers weren’t found until 9 A.M., by their platoon commander. Several hours later, during a firefight, the policemen also killed Staff Sgt. Ohad Dahan, before being shot dead himself.
• While few casualties have occurred along the Israel-Egypt border in recent years, the area is considered a key route for drug smugglers which the IDF actively tries to prevent and the incident took place after a large smuggling operation was thwarted not far from the site of the attack.
• Sinai-based terrorists carried out multiple attacks against Israel in 2011 and 2012. In one multi-staged attack in August 2011, six Israeli civilians, an IDF soldier, and a counter-terrorism police officer were killed, as well as five Egyptian soldiers.
• The Egyptian border is patrolled by the Bardelas and Caracal; mixed-gender light infantry battalions part of the IDF’s Border Defence Corps, in the Southern Command.

Looking ahead: The speedy conclusion of this investigation could set a precedent for future enquiries to be completed with similar efficiency.

• Maj. Gen. Nimrod Aloni, who is due to assume the position of head of the IDF’s Depth Corps and Military Colleges, will head a team that will investigate the “systemic” failures that contributed to the deadly attack. His team is due to “examine the operational and systemic perception of defence of peaceful borders.”