Israel’s Unit 8200 Takes on Global Terrorism

In biblical times, communities appointed watchmen to guard the city against impending danger, whether it was thieves trying to make off with a town’s food supply or invading armies seeking to overthrow a kingdom.

God has assigned a similar Israeli group today to safeguard the global community against terrorism.

Staffed by young cyber experts, Unit 8200 is the largest arm of Israel’s military. According to the British think tank, Royal United Services Institute for Defense and Security Studies, “Unit 8200 is probably the foremost technical intelligence agency in the world and stands on a par with the NSA in everything except scale.”

Israel founded Unit 8200 way back in 1952 using primitive surplus American military equipment. The unit today plays a crucial role in thwarting terrorist activities. Among their stealth roles is tracking ISIS fighters who, once forced from the battlefield, burrowed into countries around the world.

In an interview with Ynet, Israeli Defense Forces Chief of Staff Gadi Eisenkot said, “We pass on information to countries when we know something is in the works.” Hence the elite group is now credited with spoiling sophisticated plots, including:

• A major ISIS scheme to bomb a civilian airliner headed from Australia to the United Arab Emirates
• Dozens of Iranian hacking attacks against private and public organizations in Israel, Turkey, Qatar, Kuwait, United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia and Lebanon
• Many attacks against Israel by lone-wolf Palestinians in the West Bank.
  

In February, when Israel accepted credit for warning Australia of the impending airliner attack, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said, “I can tell you that this is one of many, many such actions that we (took) preventing terrorism around the world.”

A senior Unit 8200 officer explained that “a part of 8200 deals with operational activity beyond the borders. Our missions include incorporating offensive cyber tools as well as tools that help shape perception, alongside cyber defense.

“The cyber world has become a tool to achieve military and diplomatic goals,” the officer continued. “Today, it's not just about reaching arenas like Syria and Iran, but also to bypass technological giants without getting caught.”

Israel scouts for tech-savvy recruits in high school and places them in Unit 8200 during the customary military service for all young Israelis. These online soldiers spread across the country, living on the frontlines to identify and neutralize cyber threats. Their superior training often leads these workers to found high-tech firms when they leave the “They’re good because they have a lot of practice; they live in a tough neighborhood,” said Frank Cilluffo, associate vice president and director at the Center for Cyber and Homeland Security at George Washington University. “Israel punches well above its weight on cyber-related issues.”

Praise God for inspiring Israel to use its advanced intelligence capabilities to fill a biblical watchman role – not only for Israel, but for the world!