Greetings and welcome to the Daily Article podcast.

Today is Tuesday, October the 10th, 2023.

I'm Chris Elkins with the Denison Forum, narrating today's article written by Dr. Jim Denison.

The Middle East region is quieter today than it's been in two decades.

So said President Biden's national security

advisor just one week ago. Then came Hamas' surprise attack on Israel that could represent a paradigm

shifting moment as big as 9-11, according to the Atlantic. At this writing, more than 1,500 people

have been killed since the attacks began early Saturday.

One reporter starkly described them, quote, the operation was of unprecedented scale,

involving thousands of personnel and pieces of equipment, from hang gliders to bulldozers and rockets.

Such an effort demands weeks, if not months of preparation,

and all of it took place under the nose of an Israeli intelligence service that has a deserved

reputation as being one of the most effective in the world. In quotes, how did such a massive

operation remain a secret from one of the most advanced intelligence agencies in the world?

According to Reuters, a careful campaign of deception enabled the worst breach in Israel's defense since Arab armies waged war in 1973.

The attack followed two years of subterfuge that kept Hamas' military plans under wraps

while convincing Israel it did not want a conflict.

According to a source near Hamas, Israel was led to believe that it was containing Hamas

by providing economic incentives to Gaza and workers.

All the while, the group's fighters were being trained and drilled, often in plain sight.

For example, Hamas constructed a mock Israeli settlement in Gaza where they practiced a military landing and trained to storm it.

They even made videos of their maneuvers.

...