Israel’s military cleared for publication that its intelligence branch, known as unit 8200, had successfully foiled an attempt by the Islamic State to commit a bombing attack on a civilian aircraft due to leave Sydney airport for Abu Dhabi. The incident referred to took place in July of last year, when an Australian citizen sent his unsuspecting brother to Sydney airport to catch a flight of Etihad Airways bound for Abu Dhabi, carrying a home-made bomb disguised as a meat-mincer that was built at the direction of a senior Islamic State commander. Israel’s military intelligence successfully uncovered the plot, immediately notifying Australian security forces that announced a “successfully foiled terror attack, before the plane took off.”
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, during an address to an annual conference of the Presidents of Major Jewish Organizations, referred to the incident in Australia, as well as Israel’s continued security efforts to protect people around the world. “We revealed today that Israel’s intelligence services prevented the shooting down of an Australian airliner and I can tell you that this is one of many such actions that we did preventing terrorism around the world. They deserve all your support, not only for protecting the people of Israel, but protecting people everywhere around the world,” Netanyahu said.
Prime Minister Netanyahu further pointed to dramatic changes across the Middle East in which Arab countries perceive Israel as an indispensable ally in confronting regional challenges, including an increasingly aggressive Islamic Republic of Iran, as well as the dangers of the Islamic State. “Most arab countries now see Israel not as there enemy but as an indispensable allay,” Netanyahu said.
The Israeli leader reiterated during his address the dangers that would emerge if the international community would refuse to change the nuclear agreement with the Islamic Republic, that has put Iran on a course of acquiring an arsenal of nuclear weapons.