Weren't There Two Intelligence Failures?

I notice as of this morning that the narrative has shifted: over the weekend, and due in large part to the revelations about Robert Malley that emerged in the Tablet report I've linked here, there were initially two intellegence failures, one at the Mossad, which didn't see the Hamas attack from Gaza coming, and one at the FBI, where an Iranian agent, Ariane Tabatabai, currently works as Chief of Staff for the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Special Operations and Low Intensity Conflict.

This came on the heels of the revelation that Robert Malley, US Special Envoy to Iran and the architect of Democrat Iran policy since the Clinton administration, had had his security clearance suspended and been placed on leave from his position between April and June of this year. Neither the State nor the Defense Department has been responsive to congressional requests for explanation, and Tabatabai remains in her Defense Department position. As of today, this is all off the radar.

Larry Johnson at Gateway Pundit is one of the few writers who's even addressed the Israeli intelligence failure side of the question. I appreciate him for that, although I have to keep in mind that he's best known from his days as a 1990s talking head on the PBS News Hour, when he minimized the Al Qaeda threat not long before 9/11. But as of this morning, he says of the Israeli side:

Hamas is old school when it comes to plotting and planning. The Hamas leaders, I am told, shy away from social media, computers, smart phones and text messages (even WhatsAp and Signal). The do the planning and scheming in person or via couriers with hand written documents. How do you get that information? You have to recruit a spy — someone who is part of the network who will agree to rat on his friends. Despite a reputation for having quite a stable of human assets in terrorist groups, it appears Israel came up dry with a Hamas source.

There is a report that Egypt may have warned Israel. I find that plausible. That means that Mossad did not find the report credible or ignored it. That does happen in these intelligence organizations. But that is not some evil plot, that is good, old-fashioned human incompetence.

I e-mailed Johnson at Gateway Pundit asking why, with his intelligence background, he hasn't yet given equivalent commentary on the Malley-Tabatabai affair.

As of this morning, though, it's plain that the House Republicans are on the case.

House Committee on Oversight and Accountability Chairman James Comer (R-Ky.) and Subcommittee on National Security, the Border, and Foreign Affairs Chairman Glenn Grothman (R-Wis.) are continuing oversight of the Biden Administration’s failed Iran policy and are raising concerns about the Administration’s use of officials with sympathetic ties to the Iranian regime to negotiate with Iran. In a letter to U.S. Department of State Secretary Antony Blinken, the lawmakers request documents, information, and a briefing to assist the Committee’s investigation.

“The Committee on Oversight and Accountability is investigating the Biden Administration’s efforts to conceal details about its ongoing secret nuclear negotiations with the Islamic Republic of Iran from Congress, ignoring statutory obligations for congressional oversight. The Administration’s lack of transparency is even more troubling in light of press reports about Iran’s direct role in this weekend’s horrific attack on Israel by Hamas and additional revelations that former Special Envoy for Iran (SEI), Robert Malley, and members of his negotiating team may have had compromising ties to the Iranian regime. We request documents, information, and a briefing to assist the Committee’s investigation of these matters,” said the lawmakers.

. . . “According to recent media reports, a former member of Mr. Malley’s Iran negotiating team, Ariane Tabatabai, was in close contact with the Iranian regime for years. Ms. Tabatabai participated in the regime-backed Iran Experts Initiative (IEI), which was launched by senior Iranian Foreign Ministry officials in the spring of 2014. The alleged purpose of the initiative was to cultivate a network of European and U.S. researchers that could be used to bolster Iran’s image on global security matters, especially its nuclear program. Its members reportedly worked very closely with the Iranian regime toward this end. Incredibly, despite her previous contact with Iranian regime officials through this unofficial regime-backed network, including consulting with them regarding her potential travel, Ms. Tabatabai is now a high-level staffer within the Department of Defense where she continues to hold a security clearance,” the letter continued.

Meanwhile, Secretary Blinken is traveling to Israel, with little specific being said:

Tomorrow, I will leave for Israel to engage with our Israeli partners directly about the situation on the ground and to discuss ways we can continue to support them in the fight against these terrorist attacks. Our support for Israel remains unwavering.

— Secretary Antony Blinken (@SecBlinken) October 10, 2023

I wouldn't be surprised if Malley and Tabatabai were on the actual agenda.