"India, Israel are great allies... need to join forces": Former Mossad agent Sagiv Asulin calls for global front against "Eighth Front" of narrative warfare

Speaking to ANI, the former intelligence officer emphasised that Israel views India as a key strategic and value-based partner. He noted that the two nations are uniquely positioned to join forces against non-kinetic threats emerging through social media, which primarily target the younger generation.

The concept of the "Eighth Front" represents a modern strategic concept that encapsulates the battle over narratives and information. It functions as a critical contest for global perception, digital media dominance, and international diplomatic alignment.

Within the framework of regional tensions involving Israel, this specific dimension stands apart from conventional military engagements. It presents a fundamental challenge that plays out across academic institutions, major news outlets, and various virtual channels.

Drawing parallels between these global perception threats, Asulin highlighted the propaganda battles faced by Israel and the information warfare targeted against India following its own recent military actions. Specifically, he drew comparisons to the narrative battles that emerged after India's 'Operation Sindoor'.

To contextualise this parallel, 'Operation Sindoor' was India's decisive military response to the profound shock of April 22, 2025, when Pakistan-backed terrorists struck the scenic tourist town of Pahalgam in Jammu and Kashmir. The assailants entered a village, reportedly questioned the victims about their religion, and killed 26 innocent civilians.

As India mourned the loss, the Indian armed forces launched 'Operation Sindoor' on May 7, 2025, targeting terror infrastructure across Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir (PoJK). According to official details, the operation destroyed nine major terror launchpads linked to Lashkar-e-Taiba, Jaish-e-Mohammed, and Hizbul Mujahideen, eliminating over 100 terrorists.

What followed were drone attacks and shelling by Pakistan, leading to a four-day conflict between the two neighbouring countries. India displayed a formidable defence and conducted retaliatory strikes, destroying radar installations in Lahore and near Gujranwala. Inflicted with heavy damage, Pakistan's Director General of Military Operations (DGMO) called the Indian DGMO, and a ceasefire was agreed upon on May 10.

Among non-military actions, India terminated the Indus Waters Treaty and all bilateral trade with Pakistan. Furthermore, Operation Mahadev marked another major joint success last year, as security forces tracked down and eliminated three terrorists involved in the Pahalgam attack. Yet, just as India faced intense external information warfare surrounding these events, Asulin noted that both nations face identical perception battles.

Underlining the deep bilateral and intelligence-sharing ties between the two democracies, Asulin told ANI, "I think that Israel and India, you know, the only Jewish democracy and the biggest democracy worldwide, India, are great allies. Israel sees India as a strategic partner, not just, mainly, I think, values-wise." He added that Israel has historically shared, and will continue to share, its best intelligence to counter any threats facing India.

Expanding on the nature of modern conflict, Asulin warned that public perception has effectively become a critical battlefield, driven by an alliance of radical and ultra-left ideologies.

"If you're talking about the threats that are coming from the Eighth Front, so the Eighth Front is the front for public perception, the front for the truth," Asulin explained to ANI. "This is something that is coming both from radical Islam and from the ultra-left woke progressive movement. We see that in America. We see that in Europe. We see that in India. We see that also in Israel."

To further illustrate how these perception battles intertwine with real-world crises, Asulin pointed to the aftermath of the October 7, 2023, attacks in Israel. This pivotal assault sparked a conflict that has now persisted for over two years.

The hostilities began when Hamas launched an attack resulting in the deaths of approximately 1,200 individuals and the capture of over 250 hostages, according to Israeli official figures.

The subsequent military actions have led to massive devastation. The Palestinian Health Ministry in Gaza reports that over 72,700 Palestinians have been killed since the hostilities broke out.

Although a ceasefire agreement was reached last October, the armistice remains highly unstable. Palestinian officials claim over 880 deaths since its implementation, while Israel asserts its ongoing military operations are conducted purely to counter violations by Hamas or to eliminate imminent risks to Israeli security personnel.

Addressing the intense scrutiny and intelligence gaps surrounding the initial October 7 failures, Asulin clarified that the issue was rooted in analytical paradigms rather than a lack of information. He explained that Mossad's mandate is strictly restricted to operations outside Israel.

"So, Mossad is not working on Gaza or Judea and Samaria, the West Bank, only outside Israel. It's not, that's not something that, you know, changes the situation because eventually it's Israel and absolutely was a major intelligence failure. Those things are still under investigation, and I believe that we'll have a lot of small details that we will understand about what went wrong and how," Asulin said.

Conceding that it was a major intelligence failure, Asulin told ANI that the core breakdown was systemic rather than a lack of data.

"But it's not an intelligence failure because I think it was not a lack of intelligence. It was the paradigm of October 7, the conception of October 7, of us focusing mainly on the northern part of Israel and Iran and undermining the threat from Gaza, Hamas, Palestinians," Asulin explained. "It's not a lack of information or intelligence, so it's how you are analysing the intelligence that was received, and this is, that's the main gap, being honest on that."

Because these analytical gaps and subsequent narrative wars are global in nature, the former intelligence operative floated the idea of an institutionalised mechanism to counter coordinated disinformation campaigns, advocating a centralised effort between allied nations.

"I think that... it's actually not a bad idea to start with an organisation that first of all will be here in Israel, but every nation, I think, needs to have something like that," Asulin told ANI. "And since this is a global threat from global enemies that tackle the same countries, so there should at least be major cooperation between countries, but in the future to have one organisation that will lead the fight against this threat is a very fine, good idea for that." (ANI)