Mossad: 5 Facts About Israeli Intelligence Agency

New Delhi: Thousands were injured across Lebanon when their pagers exploded on Tuesday, killing at least nine people. Lebanon has pointed fingers at Mossad for the incident.

Mossad is the national intelligence agency of Israel. The country is known for its powerful intelligence agencies, including Mossad, Aman (military intelligence), and Shin Bet (internal security). Mossad is primarily responsible for intelligence collection, covert operations, and counterterrorism, with its director accountable only to the Prime Minister.

Here’s everything you need to know about Mossad:

1. Annual Budget Around $10 Billion

Mossad is the second-largest spy agency in the Western world, following the United States' CIA. Reports estimate its annual budget at approximately $10 billion, and it employs around 7,000 people, making it one of the world’s largest espionage organizations.

2. Mossad Head's Identity Was Kept Secret Until 1996

Mossad was founded on December 13, 1949, following a recommendation by Prime Minister David Ben-Gurion to Reuven Shiloah. Until 1996, the identity of Mossad's head was kept confidential. This changed with the appointment of Major General Danny Yatom, the former deputy commander of the Israel Defense Forces. Since then, the agency publicly names its head at the start of the five-year term.

3. Operation Wrath of God

Operation Wrath of God was a covert assassination campaign launched by Israel in retaliation for the kidnapping and murder of 11 Israeli athletes by Palestinian militants during the 1972 Munich Olympics . Two days after the massacre, Israel bombed ten PLO bases in Syria and Lebanon. Prime Minister Golda Meir led "Committee X," a group responsible for crafting Israel's response. Mossad gained significant attention after this operation. 

4. The Highest-Ranking Woman in Mossad’s History

In the 1990s, Aliza Magen-Halevi became the highest-ranking woman in Mossad’s history, serving as deputy director under Shabtai Shavit and Danny Yatom. Born in 1937, she was sent to Austria in the 1960s to recruit a German scientist working for Egyptian President Gamal Abdel Nasser. She later took part in Operation Wrath of God.

5. Mossad in Popular Culture  

Mossad's mystique has captivated audiences worldwide, inspiring numerous films, books, and TV shows. Movies like The Impossible Spy and The Red Sea Diving Resort are loosely based on real-life Mossad operations like Operation Moses and Operation Joshua.