Incoming Mossad chief: Natural gas assets under threat

In testimony highlighting security concerns for Israel's natural gas infrastructure, Yossi Cohen, the chief of Israel's National Security Council, has alleged that Palestine's Islamic organization Hamas attempted to strike Israeli natural gas rigs during the summer 2014 confrontation with Israel, known as "Protective Edge." 

The claim was made by Mr. Cohen in his testimony to the Israeli Knesset's Economic Affairs Committee last week. "During Protective Edge a few rockets were fired by Hamas in order to hit our rigs," he said. "Luckily their weapons aren’t sophisticated enough and therefore they couldn’t hit them. I am not sure if a 'Grad' rocket would have caused huge damage [should it hit the rig]. However weapons found in the possession of terrorist organizations [nowadays] around us, are from different models, much more sophisticated, much more accurate, so our vulnerability is increased."

In his testimony Mr. Cohen emphasized the vulnerability of the country's natural gas system to various terrorist threats and the urgency with which that vulnerability should be dealt with. He said that in case of war in the Gaza Strip, or in a case of a two front war when enemy forces operate from Gaza in parallel to operations from either Lebanon or Syria, the threat to Israeli gas infrastructure would increase. He also mentioned that terror risks in the region have increased. "Terror is unexpected, but it is going to increase the threat of our gas reservoirs and gas rigs," he explained.

As consequence of this analysis Mr. Cohen said the National Security Council he heads arrived at the conclusion that Israel cannot rely on a single supply route [pipeline] and one production rig. "We are buying more special purpose war ships to protect our economic waters, and the navy, along with the army, are preparing for the challenge [of protecting the gas infrastructure]."

Mr. Cohen emphasized that looking at the full picture of Middle East geopolitics, it becomes clear that Israel has to create relations and alliances with other countries in the region and, in that way, to boost its security and help neighboring countries, namely Egypt and Jordan, in stabilizing their regimes.

In his conclusion, he was supportive of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's stance in support of the natural gas regulatory framework and said that "the sooner the better" in referring to gas exports.

Likely for his support of Mr. Netanyahu's position, Mr. Cohen may have received a swift reward. The day following his testimony on gas infrastructure security, in a special prime time TV broadcast the Prime Minister named him as Chief of the Mossad, Israel's intelligence collection, covert operations, and counterterrorism organization, and one of the three most important bodies in Israel's security apparatus. Mr. Cohen's appointment was approved on Sunday.

-Ya'acov Zalel