Difference between revisions of "Unit 8200"

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[[Unit 8200]] is the signal intelligence and code deciphering arm of the [[Israel Defence Forces]]. It is the largest unit in the IDF and is headquartered at at Camp Glilot, north of Tel Aviv.<ref>Amos Harel, [http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1090358.html Mystery surrounds suicide of officer from elite intel unit], Haaretz, 5 June 2009.</ref> Until recently, it was usually referred to in public as the Central Collection Unit.<ref name="SpiesIncp12">Stacy Perman, ''Spies Inc. Business Innovation from Israel's Masters of Espionage'', Pearson Education, 2005, p.12.</ref>
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{{Infobox military unit
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|unit_name = Unit 8200
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|native_name = יחידה 8200
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|image =
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|caption =
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|dates = 1948–present (as Unit 848 until 1976)
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|country = Israel
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|branch = [[Israel Defence Forces]]
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|type = Signals intelligence (SIGINT), cyber warfare
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|role = Signals intelligence, code-breaking, cyber operations
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|command_structure = [[Aman|Military Intelligence Directorate (Aman)]]
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|garrison = Camp Glilot, north of Tel Aviv
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|other_names = Central Collection Unit; Israeli SIGINT National Unit (ISNU)
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|commander1 = Brigadier General "A" (name withheld)
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|commander1_label = Current commander
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}}
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[[Unit 8200]] is the signal intelligence and code deciphering arm of the [[Israel Defence Forces]]. It is the largest unit in the IDF and is headquartered at at Camp Glilot, north of Tel Aviv.<ref>Amos Harel, [http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1090358.html Mystery surrounds suicide of officer from elite intel unit], Haaretz, 5 June 2009.</ref> Until recently, it was usually referred to in public as the Central Collection Unit.<ref name="SpiesIncp12">Stacy Perman, ''Spies Inc. Business Innovation from Israel's Masters of Espionage'', Pearson Education, 2005, p.12.</ref> According to ''Israel Hayom'', Unit 8200 is the '''Israeli Sigint National Unit''' referred to in [[National Security Agency]] (NSA) documents released by [[Edward Snowden]].<ref>[http://www.israelhayom.com/site/newsletter_article.php?id=11927 Report: NSA routinely shares raw intelligence with Israel], ''Israel Hayom'', 12 September 2013.</ref> It operates under the IDF's [[Aman|Military Intelligence Directorate]], and is broadly comparable in function to the US [[National Security Agency]].<ref name="972Azure">Yuval Abraham, [https://www.972mag.com/microsoft-8200-intelligence-surveillance-cloud-azure/ Microsoft storing Israeli intelligence trove used to attack Palestinians], ''+972 Magazine'', 6 August 2025.</ref>
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The unit has been linked in published reporting to the [[Stuxnet]], [[Flame]] and [[Duqu]] cyber-attacks, the intelligence that led to the 2007 strike on the Syrian reactor at al-Kibar, and the 2024 pager attacks in Lebanon. Since 2014 it has faced growing criticism over its mass surveillance of Palestinians, its storage of intercepted Palestinian phone calls on [[Microsoft]] cloud servers, and its role in AI-assisted targeting in Gaza. Its veterans are prominent in the Israeli and global technology industry.
  
 
==History==
 
==History==
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===Unit 848===
 
===Unit 848===
 
Prior to 1976, the unit was known as '''Unit 848'''.<ref>Ephraim Kahana, ''Historical Dictionary of Israeli Intelligence'', Scarecrow Press, 2006, p.43.</ref>
 
Prior to 1976, the unit was known as '''Unit 848'''.<ref>Ephraim Kahana, ''Historical Dictionary of Israeli Intelligence'', Scarecrow Press, 2006, p.43.</ref>
 +
 +
====Masrega====
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Masrega was a Cold War-era unit within Unit 848 focused on the Soviet Union.<ref>Dima P. Adamsky, ''American and Israeli Intelligence Failure'', in Nigel John Ashton, ed., ''The Cold War in the Middle East: Regional Conflict and the Superpowers, 1967-73'', Routledge, 2007, p.124.</ref>
 +
*[[Nehemiah Burgin]] - head of the Translations Desk, c.1973.<ref>Dima P. Adamsky, ''American and Israeli Intelligence Failure'', in Nigel John Ashton, ed., ''The Cold War in the Middle East: Regional Conflict and the Superpowers, 1967-73'', Routledge, 2007, p.130.</ref>
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===1973 Yom Kippur War===
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Col. [[Yoel Ben-Porat]] commanded the unit (then Unit 848) during the 1973 [[Yom Kippur War]].<ref>Ephraim Kahana, ''Historical Dictionary of Israeli Intelligence'', Scarecrow Press, 2006, p.43.</ref> According to a 2019 study by the Center for Security Studies at ETH Zurich, it was following the war that the unit "adopted its modern form", and its general organisation has remained fairly stable since.<ref name="ETH2019">Center for Security Studies (CSS), ETH Zürich, [https://css.ethz.ch/content/dam/ethz/special-interest/gess/cis/center-for-securities-studies/pdfs/Cyber-Reports-2019-12-Unit-8200.pdf Trend Analysis: The Israeli Unit 8200 – An OSINT-based study], ''CSS Cyber Defense Project'', December 2019.</ref>
  
 
===Autonomy recommendation===
 
===Autonomy recommendation===
 
In 2004 a Knesset committee recommended turning the unit into an autonomous entity separate from the Defense Ministry, along the lines of its US equivalent, the [[National Security Agency]].<ref>Amos Harel, [http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1090358.html Mystery surrounds suicide of officer from elite intel unit], Haaretz, 5 June 2009.</ref>
 
In 2004 a Knesset committee recommended turning the unit into an autonomous entity separate from the Defense Ministry, along the lines of its US equivalent, the [[National Security Agency]].<ref>Amos Harel, [http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1090358.html Mystery surrounds suicide of officer from elite intel unit], Haaretz, 5 June 2009.</ref>
  
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===Cyber-attacks===
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===Syrian reactor, 2007===
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According to ''Der Spiegel'', the NSA noticed unusually heavy telephone traffic between Syria and North Korea, including a link between Pyongyang and al-Kibar in eastern Syria, and passed a dossier to Unit 8200, which flagged the site for further intelligence work. Israel destroyed the facility in an air strike in September 2007 ("Operation Orchard").<ref name="Spiegel2009">Erich Follath and Holger Stark, [https://www.spiegel.de/international/world/the-story-of-operation-orchard-how-israel-destroyed-syria-s-al-kibar-nuclear-reactor-a-658663.html The Story of 'Operation Orchard': How Israel Destroyed Syria's Al Kibar Nuclear Reactor], ''Der Spiegel'', 2 November 2009.</ref> Israel officially acknowledged the strike in 2018.<ref>Reuters, [https://www.reuters.com/article/us-israel-syria-nuclear-idUSKBN1GX09K/ Israel admits bombing suspected Syrian nuclear reactor in 2007, warns Iran], ''Reuters'', March 2018.</ref>
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 +
===Cyber-attacks: Stuxnet, Flame and Duqu===
 
UPI reported in June 2012 that the [[Unit 8200]] had been involved in the [[Stuxnet]] and [[Flame]] cyber-attacks:
 
UPI reported in June 2012 that the [[Unit 8200]] had been involved in the [[Stuxnet]] and [[Flame]] cyber-attacks:
 
::Unit 8200 is widely seen to have been a key player in the Flame cyber attack on Iran, and some Arab states, in recent weeks.
 
::Unit 8200 is widely seen to have been a key player in the Flame cyber attack on Iran, and some Arab states, in recent weeks.
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::It was also deeply involved in the ground-breaking Stuxnet malware attack on Iran's uranium enrichment program, a vital element in the quest for nuclear weapons, in 2009-10 that U.S. officials say was jointly mounted by Israel and the United States.<ref>[http://www.upi.com/Business_News/Security-Industry/2012/06/04/Unit-8200-and-Israels-high-tech-whiz-kids/UPI-43661338833765/ Unit 8200 and Israel's high-tech whiz kids], upi.com, 4 June 2012.</ref>
 
::It was also deeply involved in the ground-breaking Stuxnet malware attack on Iran's uranium enrichment program, a vital element in the quest for nuclear weapons, in 2009-10 that U.S. officials say was jointly mounted by Israel and the United States.<ref>[http://www.upi.com/Business_News/Security-Industry/2012/06/04/Unit-8200-and-Israels-high-tech-whiz-kids/UPI-43661338833765/ Unit 8200 and Israel's high-tech whiz kids], upi.com, 4 June 2012.</ref>
  
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===Syria===
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In June 2015 the security firm Kaspersky Lab disclosed "Duqu 2.0", a successor to the Duqu malware, which had infected hotels used as venues for the P5+1 nuclear negotiations with Iran. The ''Guardian'' reported that the virus was linked to Israel; Israel denied involvement.<ref>[http://www.theguardian.com/technology/2015/jun/11/duqu-20-computer-virus-with-traces-of-israeli-code-was-used-to-hack-iran-talks Duqu 2.0: computer virus 'linked to Israel' found at Iran nuclear talks venue], ''The Guardian'', 11 June 2015.</ref> The ETH Zurich study lists Stuxnet, Flame and Duqu among operations attributed to the unit.<ref name="ETH2019"/>
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 +
===Syria chemical weapons intercepts, 2013===
 
In August 2013, the German ''Focus'' website claimed that Unit 8200 had intercepted communications which showed that the Syrian regime was responsible for poison gas attacks near Damascus.<ref>[http://www.focus.de/politik/ausland/krise-in-der-arabischen-welt/syrien/bundeskanzlerin-im-focus-interview-giftgasmassaker-in-syrien-merkel-fordert-zugang-fuer-un-inspekteure_aid_1080416.html Bundeskanzlerin im FOCUS-InterviewGiftgasmassaker in Syrien: Merkel fordert Zugang für UN-Inspekteure], ''Focus'', 24 August 2013.</ref><ref>Adiv Sterman, [http://www.timesofisrael.com/idf-intercepted-syrian-regime-chatter-on-chemical-attack/ ‘IDF intercepted Syrian regime chatter on chemical attack’], ''The Times of Israel'', 26 August 2013.</ref>
 
In August 2013, the German ''Focus'' website claimed that Unit 8200 had intercepted communications which showed that the Syrian regime was responsible for poison gas attacks near Damascus.<ref>[http://www.focus.de/politik/ausland/krise-in-der-arabischen-welt/syrien/bundeskanzlerin-im-focus-interview-giftgasmassaker-in-syrien-merkel-fordert-zugang-fuer-un-inspekteure_aid_1080416.html Bundeskanzlerin im FOCUS-InterviewGiftgasmassaker in Syrien: Merkel fordert Zugang für UN-Inspekteure], ''Focus'', 24 August 2013.</ref><ref>Adiv Sterman, [http://www.timesofisrael.com/idf-intercepted-syrian-regime-chatter-on-chemical-attack/ ‘IDF intercepted Syrian regime chatter on chemical attack’], ''The Times of Israel'', 26 August 2013.</ref>
  
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==Tech sector alumni==
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===7 October 2023 and the Sariel resignation===
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A ''Forbes'' article by Former Unit 8200 member [[Gil Kerbs]], stated that "Israel's high-tech world is "flooded" with Unit alumni, as entrepreneurs and company founders or junior and senior executives.":
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Unit 8200 was among the Israeli intelligence bodies criticised over the failure to anticipate the Hamas-led attack of 7 October 2023. Its commander, Brig. Gen. [[Yossi Sariel]], informed the Chief of Staff, [[Herzi Halevi]], of his resignation in September 2024, saying "I did not fulfill my mission".<ref name="jpost">The Jerusalem Post, [https://www.jpost.com/breaking-news/article-819875 IDF intelligence Unit 8200 commander informs Halevi of resignation] ''The Jerusalem Post'', 12 September 2024.</ref><ref name="toi">The Times of Israel, [https://www.timesofisrael.com/i-did-not-fulfill-my-mission-commander-of-idfs-8200-intelligence-unit-resigns/ ‘I did not fulfill my mission’: Commander of IDF’s 8200 intelligence unit resigns] ''The Times of Israel'', 12 September 2024.</ref> He formally handed over command in 2025 to a successor identified only as Brigadier General "A", using his farewell speech to accept responsibility for the failure.<ref name="jpost2">The Jerusalem Post, [https://www.jpost.com/breaking-news/article-845647 'I wish to part with forgiveness': Outgoing commander says he failed] ''The Jerusalem Post'', 2025.</ref><ref name="n12">N12, [https://www.mako.co.il/news-military/2025_q1/Article-eca9694e8d48591027.htm אחרי מחדל 7 באוקטובר: מפקד חדש מונה ליחידה 8200] (After the 7 October failure: a new commander appointed to Unit 8200), ''N12/Mako'', 2025 (Hebrew).</ref>
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::"Take Nice, Comverse and Check Point for example, three of the largest high-tech companies, which were all directly influenced by 8200 technology," says [former Unit 8200 commander Hanan] Gefen. "Check Point was founded by Unit alumni. Comverse's main product, the Logger, is based on the Unit's technology. Look at Metacafe, one of the hottest companies today. [[Eyal Herzog]], one of the founders, is also an 8200 alumnus and he accumulated a huge amount of relevant experience in the Unit."<ref>Gil Kerbs, [http://www.forbes.com/2007/02/07/israel-military-unit-ventures-biz-cx_gk_0208israel.html The Unit], Forbes, 8 February 2007.</ref>
 
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Author [[James Bamford]] and former CIA officer [[Philip Giraldi]] have suggested that the role of Unit 8200 veterans in the telecommunications industry is a threat to US national security.<ref>Christopher Ketcham, [http://www.counterpunch.org/2009/03/12/israeli-spying-in-the-united-states/ Full-Spectrum Penetration: Israeli Spying in the United States], 12 March 2009.</ref>
 
  
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A US diplomatic cable released by Wikileaks in 2011, highlighted the role of former Unit 8200 personnel in [[Hazard Threat Analysis]], Ltd. (HTA), a private company specializing in internet-based counter-terrorism (CT) intelligence gathering.<ref>[http://cablegatesearch.net/cable.php?id=08TELAVIV592&q=8200%20unit Private Israeli Company Collects Counter-terrorism Intelligence], Wikileaks, 1 September 2011.</ref>
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Sariel had earlier been publicly identified in April 2024, when the ''Guardian'' reported that a book he had published under a pen name left a digital trail to his identity (see [[#AI targeting in Gaza|AI targeting in Gaza]]).<ref name="GuardianSariel">[https://www.theguardian.com/world/2024/apr/05/top-israeli-spy-chief-exposes-his-true-identity-in-online-security-lapse Top Israeli spy chief exposes his true identity in online security lapse], ''The Guardian'', 5 April 2024.</ref>
  
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==People and Structure==
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===Lebanon pager attacks, 2024===
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===Commanders of Unit 848===
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On 17–18 September 2024 thousands of pagers and walkie-talkies used by [[Hezbollah]] members exploded across Lebanon. Israel did not claim responsibility at the time. Reuters, citing a single Western security source, reported that Unit 8200 was involved in the planning, including testing how explosive material could be inserted into the devices during manufacture; the operation has otherwise been widely attributed to the [[Mossad]].<ref name="ReutersPagers">Reuters, [https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/hezbollah-pager-attack-puts-spotlight-israels-cyber-warfare-unit-8200-2024-09-18/ Hezbollah pager attack puts spotlight on Israel's cyber warfare Unit 8200], ''Reuters'', 18 September 2024.</ref> The division of roles between the agencies has not been officially confirmed.
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*Col. [[Yoel Ben-Porat]]<ref>Ephraim Kahana, ''Historical Dictionary of Israeli Intelligence'', Scarecrow Press, 2006, p.43.</ref>
 
  
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===Masrega===
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==Organisation and recruitment==
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Masrega was a Cold War-era unit within Unit 848 focused on the Soviet Union.<ref>Dima P. Adamsky, ''American and Israeli Intelligence Failure'', in Nigel John Ashton, ed., ''The Cold War in the Middle East: Regional Conflict and the Superpowers, 1967-73'', Routledge, 2007, p.124.</ref>  
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The ETH Zurich study describes Unit 8200 as falling under the jurisdiction of Aman, and reports that it has changed commanders roughly every four years on average.<ref name="ETH2019"/> The names of serving commanders are normally withheld; recent commanders have been referred to publicly by an initial.<ref name="ynet">Ynet News, [https://www.ynetnews.com/article/bkmn6qtjke Brig. Gen. A. appointed as new commander of Unit 8200] ''Ynet News''.</ref>
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*[[Nehemiah Burgin]] - head of the Translations Desk, c.1973.<ref>Dima P. Adamsky, ''American and Israeli Intelligence Failure'', in Nigel John Ashton, ed., ''The Cold War in the Middle East: Regional Conflict and the Superpowers, 1967-73'', Routledge, 2007, p.130.</ref>
 
  
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===Commanders of Unit 8200===
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===Recruitment: Magshimim===
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*[[Reuven Yerdor]] c.1982.<ref>Seymour M. Hersh, The Samson Option: Israel, America and the Bomb, Faber and Faber, 1993, p.293.</ref>
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The unit recruits heavily among technically able high-school students. [[Magshimim]], a three-year after-school cyber programme run with the [[Rashi Foundation]] for 10th–12th grade students in Israel's geographic periphery, aims to prepare them for elite IDF technology units and the high-tech sector.<ref>Rashi Foundation, [https://rashi.org.il/en/programs/magshimim-new/ Magshimim], ''Rashi Foundation'', accessed 16 October 2026.</ref>
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*[[Elie Barr]] 1987-90.<ref name="SpiesIncp76">Stacy Perman, ''Spies Inc. Business Innovation from Israel's Masters of Espionage'', Pearson Education, 2005, p.76.</ref>
 
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*[[Aharon Zeevi Farkash]] 1990-93<ref name="SpiesIncp97">Stacy Perman, ''Spies Inc. Business Innovation from Israel's Masters of Espionage'', Pearson Education, 2005, p.97.</ref>
 
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*[[Yair Cohen]]
 
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*[[Hanan Gefen]]
 
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*[[Pinhas Buchris]] 1997-2001
 
  
 
===Unit Hatzav===
 
===Unit Hatzav===
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With the onset of the Arab Spring in 2011, a decision was taken to increase military intelligence coverage of Arabic language social media. According to Israeli government sources quoted by ''Haaretz'', this forced a reduction in resources devoted to mainstream media such as television broadcasts. As a result, the government increasingly relied on two right-wing private organisations, [[MEMRI]] and [[Palestinian Media Watch]] for coverage of anti-Israeli material in the Arab media. Government officials had reportedly complained about the situation to the head of [[Aman|military intelligence]], [[Aviv Kochavi]]. In a response to ''Haaretz'', the IDF insisted it was monitoring Arab media "24 hours a day, every day of the week, in a wide variety of fields, including the Palestinian field".<ref name="IDFlapse">Barak Ravid, [http://www.haaretz.com/print-edition/news/officials-israel-outsources-monitoring-of-palestinian-media-after-idf-lapse-1.410082 Officials: Israel outsources monitoring of Palestinian media after IDF lapse], ''Haaretz'', 31 January 2012.</ref>
 
With the onset of the Arab Spring in 2011, a decision was taken to increase military intelligence coverage of Arabic language social media. According to Israeli government sources quoted by ''Haaretz'', this forced a reduction in resources devoted to mainstream media such as television broadcasts. As a result, the government increasingly relied on two right-wing private organisations, [[MEMRI]] and [[Palestinian Media Watch]] for coverage of anti-Israeli material in the Arab media. Government officials had reportedly complained about the situation to the head of [[Aman|military intelligence]], [[Aviv Kochavi]]. In a response to ''Haaretz'', the IDF insisted it was monitoring Arab media "24 hours a day, every day of the week, in a wide variety of fields, including the Palestinian field".<ref name="IDFlapse">Barak Ravid, [http://www.haaretz.com/print-edition/news/officials-israel-outsources-monitoring-of-palestinian-media-after-idf-lapse-1.410082 Officials: Israel outsources monitoring of Palestinian media after IDF lapse], ''Haaretz'', 31 January 2012.</ref>
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==Foreign partnerships==
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===US intelligence-sharing deal===
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The Israeli Sigint National Unit agreed a deal for the mutual exchange of raw signals intelligence with the US [[National Security Agency]] in 2009, according to documents released by former NSA contractor Edward Snowden.<ref name="GreenwaldNSAISNU">Glenn Greenwald, Laura Poitras and Ewen MacAskill, [http://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/sep/11/nsa-americans-personal-data-israel-documents?CMP=twt_gu NSA shares raw intelligence including Americans' data with Israel], ''Guardian'', 11 September 2013.</ref> According to the ''Guardian'', the memorandum of understanding allowed the NSA to pass on raw intercepts that could include the communications of US citizens.<ref name="GreenwaldNSAISNU"/>
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The NSA also passed telephone-traffic intelligence on Syria and North Korea to Unit 8200 before the 2007 strike on al-Kibar.<ref name="Spiegel2009"/>
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==Surveillance of Palestinians==
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===2014 reservists' letter===
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In September 2014, 43 veterans of Unit 8200, including reservists, published a letter to Prime Minister [[Benjamin Netanyahu]] and military chiefs refusing to serve in operations against Palestinians, saying that innocent people living under military rule were exposed to surveillance and that intelligence was used for political persecution.<ref>Peter Beaumont, [http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/sep/12/israeli-intelligence-reservists-refuse-serve-palestinian-territories Israeli intelligence veterans refuse to serve in Palestinian territories], ''The Guardian'', 12 September 2014.</ref><ref>[https://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/sep/12/israeli-intelligence-veterans-letter-netanyahu-military-chiefs Israeli intelligence veterans' letter to Netanyahu and military chiefs – in full], ''The Guardian'', 12 September 2014.</ref>
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===Microsoft Azure===
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In August 2025 a joint investigation by the ''Guardian'', ''+972 Magazine'' and ''Local Call'' reported that Unit 8200 had used a customised area of [[Microsoft]]'s Azure cloud platform to store audio files of millions of phone calls made by Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank. The system became operational in 2022. Based on leaked Microsoft documents and 11 sources, the reporting said the trove had been used to plan air strikes in Gaza and as a basis for arrests in the West Bank. Microsoft said it was unaware its products had been used for surveillance of civilians.<ref name="GuardianAzure">[https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/aug/06/microsoft-israeli-military-palestinian-phone-calls-cloud ‘A million calls an hour’: Israel relying on Microsoft cloud for expansive surveillance of Palestinians], ''The Guardian'', 6 August 2025.</ref><ref name="972Azure"/>
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Microsoft opened a review on 15 August 2025. On 25 September 2025 its president, [[Brad Smith]], announced that it had found evidence supporting elements of the reporting, including Azure storage consumption in the Netherlands and use of AI services, and had "ceased and disabled" specified subscriptions and services of a unit within the Israel Ministry of Defense.<ref>Brad Smith, [https://blogs.microsoft.com/on-the-issues/2025/09/25/update-on-ongoing-microsoft-review/ Update on ongoing Microsoft review], ''Microsoft On the Issues'', 25 September 2025.</ref> The ''Guardian'' reported that Microsoft had told Israeli officials that Unit 8200 had violated its terms of service.<ref>[https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/sep/25/microsoft-blocks-israels-use-of-its-technology-in-mass-surveillance-of-palestinians Microsoft blocks Israel’s use of its technology in mass surveillance of Palestinians], ''The Guardian'', 25 September 2025.</ref> Microsoft's wider relationship with the Israeli military continued.<ref>[https://www.cnn.com/2025/09/25/tech/microsoft-israel-surveillance Microsoft terminates services for Israeli military after investigation into mass surveillance of Palestinians], ''CNN'', 25 September 2025.</ref>
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==AI targeting in Gaza==
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In November 2023 ''+972 Magazine'' and ''Local Call'' reported that the Israeli army was making extensive use of an AI system called '''Habsora''' ("The Gospel") that could "generate" targets almost automatically; a former intelligence officer said it facilitated a "mass assassination factory".<ref>Yuval Abraham, [https://www.972mag.com/mass-assassination-factory-israel-calculated-bombing-gaza/ ‘A mass assassination factory’: Inside Israel’s calculated bombing of Gaza], ''+972 Magazine'', 30 November 2023.</ref>
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In April 2024 a further investigation revealed '''Lavender''', an AI-based programme that, according to six intelligence officers, played a central role in the bombing of Gaza; four said that at one stage early in the war it listed as many as 37,000 Palestinian men as linked to Hamas or Palestinian Islamic Jihad. The same reporting described a tracking system called '''"Where's Daddy?"''' used to signal when targeted individuals entered their family homes.<ref name="Lavender">Yuval Abraham, [https://www.972mag.com/lavender-ai-israeli-army-gaza ‘Lavender’: The AI machine directing Israel’s bombing spree in Gaza], ''+972 Magazine'', 3 April 2024.</ref><ref>[https://www.theguardian.com/world/2024/apr/03/israel-gaza-ai-database-hamas-airstrikes ‘The machine did it coldly’: Israel used AI to identify 37,000 Hamas targets], ''The Guardian'', 3 April 2024.</ref> The IDF described Lavender as a database used to cross-reference intelligence sources.<ref name="Lavender"/>
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===''The Human-Machine Team''===
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In 2021 a book titled ''The Human-Machine Team: How to Create Synergy Between Human and Artificial Intelligence That Will Revolutionize Our World'' was published under the pen name "Brigadier General Y.S.". It argued for a machine able to rapidly generate thousands of potential military targets, resolving what the author called a "human bottleneck". ''+972'' reported that five sources in 8200 confirmed the author was the unit's commander,<ref name="Lavender"/> and the ''Guardian'' identified him as Yossi Sariel.<ref name="GuardianSariel"/><ref>[https://www.theguardian.com/world/2024/apr/09/digital-trail-identifying-israeli-spy-chief-has-been-online-for-years Digital trail identifying Israeli spy chief has been online for years], ''The Guardian'', 9 April 2024.</ref>
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==Commanders==
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Serving commanders are normally not named. The list below is compiled from published sources; where sources conflict or only a secondary compilation is available, this is noted. Several dates come from the Hebrew Wikipedia list of commanders<ref name="heWiki">[https://he.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D7%99%D7%97%D7%99%D7%93%D7%94_8200 יחידה 8200 – מפקדי היחידה], ''Hebrew Wikipedia'', accessed 16 October 2026. (Secondary compilation; used only where no better source was found.)</ref> and should be treated as provisional.
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{| class="wikitable sortable"
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|+ Commanders of Unit 8200 (and predecessor Unit 848)
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! Unit !! Commander !! Dates of service !! Notes
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|-
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| Unit 848 || Col. [[Yoel Ben-Porat]] || 1972–1976 || Commanded during the 1973 Yom Kippur War.<ref>Ephraim Kahana, ''Historical Dictionary of Israeli Intelligence'', Scarecrow Press, 2006, p.43.</ref> Start and end dates per Hebrew Wikipedia list only.<ref name="heWiki"/>
 +
|-
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| Unit 8200 || [[Reuven Yerdor]] (Yeredor) || c.1980–1984 || In post c.1982.<ref>Seymour M. Hersh, The Samson Option: Israel, America and the Bomb, Faber and Faber, 1993, p.293.</ref> 1980–84 per Hebrew Wikipedia list only.<ref name="heWiki"/>
 +
|-
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| Unit 8200 || [[Elie Barr]] || 1987–1990 || <ref name="SpiesIncp76">Stacy Perman, ''Spies Inc. Business Innovation from Israel's Masters of Espionage'', Pearson Education, 2005, p.76.</ref>
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|-
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| Unit 8200 || [[Aharon Zeevi Farkash]] || 1990–1993 || Later head of [[Aman]].<ref name="SpiesIncp97">Stacy Perman, ''Spies Inc. Business Innovation from Israel's Masters of Espionage'', Pearson Education, 2005, p.97.</ref>
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|-
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| Unit 8200 || Brig. Gen. [[Hanan Gefen]] (Geffen) || 1993–1997 || '''Uncertain.''' Dates per Hebrew Wikipedia list only;<ref name="heWiki"/> the previous version of this page placed him "post-2005", which conflicts with the documented tenures of Cohen and Harari. Described as a former commander in ''Forbes'', 2007.<ref name="Kerbs2007">Gil Kerbs, [http://www.forbes.com/2007/02/07/israel-military-unit-ventures-biz-cx_gk_0208israel.html The Unit], Forbes, 8 February 2007.</ref>
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|-
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| Unit 8200 || Brig. Gen. [[Pinhas Buchris]] || 1997–2001 || Later Director-General of the Defence Ministry. Dates per Hebrew Wikipedia list.<ref name="heWiki"/>
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|-
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| Unit 8200 || Brig. Gen. [[Yair Cohen]] || 2001–2005 || Served 33 years in the unit, the last five as commander.<ref name="ETH2019"/>
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|-
 +
| Unit 8200 || Brig. Gen. [[Dani Harari]] || 2005–2009 || Previously deputy commander; succeeded in 2009 by his own deputy, Nadav Zafrir.<ref name="CtechZafrir">[https://www.calcalistech.com/ctechnews/article/v53llperj Check Point's X-Factor: Can Nadav Zafrir wake the sleeping giant?], ''Ctech (Calcalist)''.</ref> 2005 start per Hebrew Wikipedia list.<ref name="heWiki"/>
 +
|-
 +
| Unit 8200 || [[Nadav Zafrir]] || 2009–2013 || Later co-founder of Team8 and, from December 2024, CEO of [[Check Point Software Technologies|Check Point]].<ref>[https://www.calcalistech.com/ctechnews/article/bywtlrroa Nadav Zafrir to replace Gil Shwed as CEO of Check Point], ''Ctech (Calcalist)'', July 2024.</ref><ref>[https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-37643758 How Israel builds its hi-tech start-ups], ''BBC News'', 2016.</ref> ''Globes'' gives 2005–2008, apparently conflating his period as deputy.<ref name="Globes2024">Assaf Gilead, [https://en.globes.co.il/en/article-check-point-names-nadav-zafrir-next-ceo-1001485073 Check Point names Nadav Zafrir next CEO], ''Globes'', 24 July 2024.</ref>
 +
|-
 +
| Unit 8200 || Brig. Gen. [[Ehud Schneorson]] || 2013–2017 || '''Uncertain.''' Per Hebrew Wikipedia list only.<ref name="heWiki"/>
 +
|-
 +
| Unit 8200 || Brig. Gen. [[Asaf Kochan]] (Assaf Kochan) || 2017–2021 || Described in March 2022 as having headed the unit "until last year".<ref>Meir Orbach, [https://www.calcalistech.com/ctechnews/article/hywttoyg9 Outgoing 8200 commander: "Organizations don't know where their information is"], ''Ctech (Calcalist)'', 24 March 2022.</ref> 2017 start per Hebrew Wikipedia list.<ref name="heWiki"/>
 +
|-
 +
| Unit 8200 || Brig. Gen. [[Yossi Sariel]] || February 2021 – 2025 || Announced resignation in September 2024 over the 7 October failures;<ref name="toi"/> remained until his successor took command in 2025.<ref name="jpost2"/>
 +
|-
 +
| Unit 8200 || Brig. Gen. "A" (name withheld) || 2025 – present || Assumed command in a ceremony at the unit's southern base.<ref name="n12"/><ref name="ynet"/> '''Date uncertain:''' Hebrew sources indicate early 2025 (March per Hebrew Wikipedia); the previous version of this page gave November 2025.
 +
|}
 +
 +
==Tech sector alumni==
 +
A ''Forbes'' article by Former Unit 8200 member [[Gil Kerbs]], stated that "Israel's high-tech world is "flooded" with Unit alumni, as entrepreneurs and company founders or junior and senior executives.":
 +
::"Take [[Nice]], [[Comverse]] and [[Check Point]] for example, three of the largest high-tech companies, which were all directly influenced by 8200 technology," says [former Unit 8200 commander Hanan] Gefen. "Check Point was founded by Unit alumni. Comverse's main product, the Logger, is based on the Unit's technology. Look at [[Metacafe]], one of the hottest companies today. [[Eyal Herzog]], one of the founders, is also an 8200 alumnus and he accumulated a huge amount of relevant experience in the Unit."<ref name="Kerbs2007"/>
 +
 +
More than 1,000 companies are estimated to have been founded by Unit 8200 veterans; at least five publicly traded U.S. tech firms started by alumni are collectively valued at around $160 billion.<ref name="WSJ2024">Wall Street Journal, [https://www.wsj.com/tech/silicon-valleys-hot-talent-pipeline-is-an-israeli-army-unit-e8368b4d Silicon Valley’s Hot Talent Pipeline Is an Israeli Army Unit] ''Wall Street Journal'', 31 August 2024.</ref><ref name="Forbes2016">Forbes, [https://www.forbes.com/sites/richardbehar/2016/05/11/inside-israels-secret-startup-machine/ Inside Israel’s Secret Startup Machine] ''Forbes'', 11 May 2016.</ref>
 +
 +
Hundreds of alumni are employed by global tech giants. A 2022 ''MintPress News'' investigation based on public LinkedIn profiles identified at least 166 former members at Microsoft and 99 at Google;<ref name="MintPress2022">Alan MacLeod, [https://www.mintpressnews.com/revealed-the-former-israeli-spies-working-in-top-jobs-at-google-facebook-microsoft-and-amazon/282413/ Revealed: The Former Israeli Spies Working in Top Jobs at Google, Facebook, Microsoft and Amazon] ''MintPress News'', 31 October 2022.</ref> ''Drop Site News'' reported in 2025 that Microsoft alone employed roughly 250 veterans.<ref name="DropSite2025">Drop Site News, [https://www.dropsitenews.com/p/israel-technology-palo-alto-networks-microsoft-unit-8200 Hundreds of Former Israeli Spies Are Working in Big Tech] ''Drop Site News'', 13 August 2025.</ref>
 +
 +
Author [[James Bamford]] and former CIA officer [[Philip Giraldi]] have suggested that the role of Unit 8200 veterans in the telecommunications industry is a threat to US national security.<ref>Christopher Ketcham, [http://www.counterpunch.org/2009/03/12/israeli-spying-in-the-united-states/ Full-Spectrum Penetration: Israeli Spying in the United States], 12 March 2009.</ref>
 +
 +
A US diplomatic cable released by Wikileaks in 2011, highlighted the role of former Unit 8200 personnel in [[Hazard Threat Analysis]], Ltd. (HTA), a private company specializing in internet-based counter-terrorism (CT) intelligence gathering.<ref>[http://cablegatesearch.net/cable.php?id=08TELAVIV592&q=8200%20unit Private Israeli Company Collects Counter-terrorism Intelligence], Wikileaks, 1 September 2011.</ref>
 +
 +
===Selected founders and senior executives===
 +
Only founders and senior executives publicly identified as Unit 8200 alumni in reliable sources are listed here.
 +
*[[Gil Shwed]], [[Shlomo Kramer]] and [[Marius Nacht]]: founders of [[Check Point Software Technologies]] (1993), all of whom served in the unit.<ref name="Globes2024"/> In December 2024 Shwed handed the CEO role to former 8200 commander [[Nadav Zafrir]].
 +
*[[Nir Zuk]]: founder of [[Palo Alto Networks]]; served in the unit before joining Check Point.<ref>[https://www.computerworld.com/article/1515006/how-i-got-here-nir-zuk-cto-palo-alto-networks.html How I Got Here: Nir Zuk, CTO, Palo Alto Networks], ''Computerworld''.</ref><ref name="DropSite2025"/>
 +
*[[Assaf Rappaport]], [[Ami Luttwak]], [[Yinon Costica]] and [[Roy Reznik]]: founders of [[Wiz]], who served in Intelligence Corps Units 8200 and 81.<ref>Yarden Rozanski, [https://www.calcalistech.com/ctechnews/article/sjfc118vn1e From IDF Intelligence to a $32B Google deal: The Wiz founders’ epic journey], ''Ctech (Calcalist)'', 18 March 2025.</ref> Google agreed to buy Wiz for $32 billion in March 2025 and completed the acquisition on 11 March 2026 after US and EU regulatory approval; Wiz now operates within Google Cloud under its own brand.<ref>Rebecca Bellan, [https://techcrunch.com/2026/03/11/google-completes-32b-acquisition-of-wiz/ Google wraps up $32B acquisition of cloud cybersecurity startup Wiz], ''TechCrunch'', 11 March 2026.</ref><ref>Google, [https://blog.google/innovation-and-ai/infrastructure-and-cloud/google-cloud/wiz-acquisition/ Google completes acquisition of Wiz], ''Google blog'', 11 March 2026.</ref>
 +
*[[Eyal Herzog]]: co-founder of [[Metacafe]].<ref name="Kerbs2007"/>
 +
*[[Guy Rosen]]: Vice President, Integrity, at [[Meta Platforms]].<ref name="MintPress2022"/>
 +
 +
==Controversies==
 +
*'''Surveillance of Palestinians''': criticised by its own reservists in 2014 and, in 2025, by reporting on its storage of intercepted calls on Microsoft Azure, which led Microsoft to cut off some services. See [[#Surveillance of Palestinians|above]].
 +
*'''AI targeting''': the unit's commander advocated automated target generation, and systems such as Lavender and the Gospel have been linked to mass civilian casualties in Gaza. See [[#AI targeting in Gaza|above]].
 +
*'''7 October 2023''': intelligence failures leading to the resignation of commander Yossi Sariel.
 +
*'''Sharing of US citizens' data''': the 2009 NSA–ISNU agreement allowed raw intercepts, potentially including Americans' communications, to be passed to Israel.<ref name="GreenwaldNSAISNU"/>
 +
*'''Revolving door to the tech industry''': concerns about alumni in telecommunications and big tech. See [[#Tech sector alumni|above]].
  
 
==External Resources==
 
==External Resources==
 
*Tobias Buck, [http://www.israeli-occupation.org/2011-12-01/tobias-buck-israels-army-of-tech-start-ups/ Israel's army of tech start-ups], FT.com, 30 November 2011, archived at Israeli Occupation Archive.
 
*Tobias Buck, [http://www.israeli-occupation.org/2011-12-01/tobias-buck-israels-army-of-tech-start-ups/ Israel's army of tech start-ups], FT.com, 30 November 2011, archived at Israeli Occupation Archive.
−
   
+
*Peter Beaumont [http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/sep/12/israeli-intelligence-reservists-refuse-serve-palestinian-territories Israeli intelligence veterans refuse to serve in Palestinian territories. Innocent people under military rule exposed to surveillance by Israel, say 43 ex-members of Unit 8200, including reservists] ''The Guardian'', Friday 12 September 2014 10.44 BST
 +
*Center for Security Studies, ETH Zürich, [https://css.ethz.ch/content/dam/ethz/special-interest/gess/cis/center-for-securities-studies/pdfs/Cyber-Reports-2019-12-Unit-8200.pdf Trend Analysis: The Israeli Unit 8200 – An OSINT-based study], December 2019.
 +
 
 
==Notes==
 
==Notes==
 
<references/>
 
<references/>
  
−
[[Category:Israel]][[Category:Spooks]][[Category:IDF]]
+
[[Category:Israel]][[Category:Spooks]][[Category:IDF]] [[Category:Israeli intelligence]]

Latest revision as of 11:13, 17 October 2026

Unit 8200
Dates 1948–present (as Unit 848 until 1976)
Country Israel
Branch Israel Defence Forces
Type Signals intelligence (SIGINT), cyber warfare
Role Signals intelligence, code-breaking, cyber operations
Command structure Military Intelligence Directorate (Aman)
Garrison Camp Glilot, north of Tel Aviv
Battles
Commander Brigadier General "A" (name withheld)
Title Current commander
Website

Unit 8200 is the signal intelligence and code deciphering arm of the Israel Defence Forces. It is the largest unit in the IDF and is headquartered at at Camp Glilot, north of Tel Aviv.[1] Until recently, it was usually referred to in public as the Central Collection Unit.[2] According to Israel Hayom, Unit 8200 is the Israeli Sigint National Unit referred to in National Security Agency (NSA) documents released by Edward Snowden.[3] It operates under the IDF's Military Intelligence Directorate, and is broadly comparable in function to the US National Security Agency.[4]

The unit has been linked in published reporting to the Stuxnet, Flame and Duqu cyber-attacks, the intelligence that led to the 2007 strike on the Syrian reactor at al-Kibar, and the 2024 pager attacks in Lebanon. Since 2014 it has faced growing criticism over its mass surveillance of Palestinians, its storage of intercepted Palestinian phone calls on Microsoft cloud servers, and its role in AI-assisted targeting in Gaza. Its veterans are prominent in the Israeli and global technology industry.

History

Unit 848

Prior to 1976, the unit was known as Unit 848.[5]

Masrega

Masrega was a Cold War-era unit within Unit 848 focused on the Soviet Union.[6]

1973 Yom Kippur War

Col. Yoel Ben-Porat commanded the unit (then Unit 848) during the 1973 Yom Kippur War.[8] According to a 2019 study by the Center for Security Studies at ETH Zurich, it was following the war that the unit "adopted its modern form", and its general organisation has remained fairly stable since.[9]

Autonomy recommendation

In 2004 a Knesset committee recommended turning the unit into an autonomous entity separate from the Defense Ministry, along the lines of its US equivalent, the National Security Agency.[10]

Syrian reactor, 2007

According to Der Spiegel, the NSA noticed unusually heavy telephone traffic between Syria and North Korea, including a link between Pyongyang and al-Kibar in eastern Syria, and passed a dossier to Unit 8200, which flagged the site for further intelligence work. Israel destroyed the facility in an air strike in September 2007 ("Operation Orchard").[11] Israel officially acknowledged the strike in 2018.[12]

Cyber-attacks: Stuxnet, Flame and Duqu

UPI reported in June 2012 that the Unit 8200 had been involved in the Stuxnet and Flame cyber-attacks:

Unit 8200 is widely seen to have been a key player in the Flame cyber attack on Iran, and some Arab states, in recent weeks.
It was also deeply involved in the ground-breaking Stuxnet malware attack on Iran's uranium enrichment program, a vital element in the quest for nuclear weapons, in 2009-10 that U.S. officials say was jointly mounted by Israel and the United States.[13]

In June 2015 the security firm Kaspersky Lab disclosed "Duqu 2.0", a successor to the Duqu malware, which had infected hotels used as venues for the P5+1 nuclear negotiations with Iran. The Guardian reported that the virus was linked to Israel; Israel denied involvement.[14] The ETH Zurich study lists Stuxnet, Flame and Duqu among operations attributed to the unit.[9]

Syria chemical weapons intercepts, 2013

In August 2013, the German Focus website claimed that Unit 8200 had intercepted communications which showed that the Syrian regime was responsible for poison gas attacks near Damascus.[15][16]

7 October 2023 and the Sariel resignation

Unit 8200 was among the Israeli intelligence bodies criticised over the failure to anticipate the Hamas-led attack of 7 October 2023. Its commander, Brig. Gen. Yossi Sariel, informed the Chief of Staff, Herzi Halevi, of his resignation in September 2024, saying "I did not fulfill my mission".[17][18] He formally handed over command in 2025 to a successor identified only as Brigadier General "A", using his farewell speech to accept responsibility for the failure.[19][20]

Sariel had earlier been publicly identified in April 2024, when the Guardian reported that a book he had published under a pen name left a digital trail to his identity (see AI targeting in Gaza).[21]

Lebanon pager attacks, 2024

On 17–18 September 2024 thousands of pagers and walkie-talkies used by Hezbollah members exploded across Lebanon. Israel did not claim responsibility at the time. Reuters, citing a single Western security source, reported that Unit 8200 was involved in the planning, including testing how explosive material could be inserted into the devices during manufacture; the operation has otherwise been widely attributed to the Mossad.[22] The division of roles between the agencies has not been officially confirmed.

Organisation and recruitment

The ETH Zurich study describes Unit 8200 as falling under the jurisdiction of Aman, and reports that it has changed commanders roughly every four years on average.[9] The names of serving commanders are normally withheld; recent commanders have been referred to publicly by an initial.[23]

Recruitment: Magshimim

The unit recruits heavily among technically able high-school students. Magshimim, a three-year after-school cyber programme run with the Rashi Foundation for 10th–12th grade students in Israel's geographic periphery, aims to prepare them for elite IDF technology units and the high-tech sector.[24]

Unit Hatzav

Unit Hatzav is the open source intelligence unit within Unit 8200. It is responsible for obtaining intelligence and counterintelligence from television, radio, newspapers, and the Internet.[25] Hatzav produced a daily summary of the Arab press which is distributed to intelligence desks and decision makers.[26]

The unit was re-organised in 2007, according to Haaretz:

In 2007 Hatzav was split up, with some members assigned to each Unit 8200 division that deals with a specific country or with the Palestinian Authority. It was meant to increase cooperation between the departments monitoring different sources of information, but has instead reduced Israel's intelligence capabilities, according to the sources. They said that over the past two years, the commanders of Hatzav and of Unit 8200 have been attempting to improve Hatzav, with limited success.[27]

With the onset of the Arab Spring in 2011, a decision was taken to increase military intelligence coverage of Arabic language social media. According to Israeli government sources quoted by Haaretz, this forced a reduction in resources devoted to mainstream media such as television broadcasts. As a result, the government increasingly relied on two right-wing private organisations, MEMRI and Palestinian Media Watch for coverage of anti-Israeli material in the Arab media. Government officials had reportedly complained about the situation to the head of military intelligence, Aviv Kochavi. In a response to Haaretz, the IDF insisted it was monitoring Arab media "24 hours a day, every day of the week, in a wide variety of fields, including the Palestinian field".[27]

Foreign partnerships

US intelligence-sharing deal

The Israeli Sigint National Unit agreed a deal for the mutual exchange of raw signals intelligence with the US National Security Agency in 2009, according to documents released by former NSA contractor Edward Snowden.[28] According to the Guardian, the memorandum of understanding allowed the NSA to pass on raw intercepts that could include the communications of US citizens.[28]

The NSA also passed telephone-traffic intelligence on Syria and North Korea to Unit 8200 before the 2007 strike on al-Kibar.[11]

Surveillance of Palestinians

2014 reservists' letter

In September 2014, 43 veterans of Unit 8200, including reservists, published a letter to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and military chiefs refusing to serve in operations against Palestinians, saying that innocent people living under military rule were exposed to surveillance and that intelligence was used for political persecution.[29][30]

Microsoft Azure

In August 2025 a joint investigation by the Guardian, +972 Magazine and Local Call reported that Unit 8200 had used a customised area of Microsoft's Azure cloud platform to store audio files of millions of phone calls made by Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank. The system became operational in 2022. Based on leaked Microsoft documents and 11 sources, the reporting said the trove had been used to plan air strikes in Gaza and as a basis for arrests in the West Bank. Microsoft said it was unaware its products had been used for surveillance of civilians.[31][4]

Microsoft opened a review on 15 August 2025. On 25 September 2025 its president, Brad Smith, announced that it had found evidence supporting elements of the reporting, including Azure storage consumption in the Netherlands and use of AI services, and had "ceased and disabled" specified subscriptions and services of a unit within the Israel Ministry of Defense.[32] The Guardian reported that Microsoft had told Israeli officials that Unit 8200 had violated its terms of service.[33] Microsoft's wider relationship with the Israeli military continued.[34]

AI targeting in Gaza

In November 2023 +972 Magazine and Local Call reported that the Israeli army was making extensive use of an AI system called Habsora ("The Gospel") that could "generate" targets almost automatically; a former intelligence officer said it facilitated a "mass assassination factory".[35]

In April 2024 a further investigation revealed Lavender, an AI-based programme that, according to six intelligence officers, played a central role in the bombing of Gaza; four said that at one stage early in the war it listed as many as 37,000 Palestinian men as linked to Hamas or Palestinian Islamic Jihad. The same reporting described a tracking system called "Where's Daddy?" used to signal when targeted individuals entered their family homes.[36][37] The IDF described Lavender as a database used to cross-reference intelligence sources.[36]

The Human-Machine Team

In 2021 a book titled The Human-Machine Team: How to Create Synergy Between Human and Artificial Intelligence That Will Revolutionize Our World was published under the pen name "Brigadier General Y.S.". It argued for a machine able to rapidly generate thousands of potential military targets, resolving what the author called a "human bottleneck". +972 reported that five sources in 8200 confirmed the author was the unit's commander,[36] and the Guardian identified him as Yossi Sariel.[21][38]

Commanders

Serving commanders are normally not named. The list below is compiled from published sources; where sources conflict or only a secondary compilation is available, this is noted. Several dates come from the Hebrew Wikipedia list of commanders[39] and should be treated as provisional.

Commanders of Unit 8200 (and predecessor Unit 848)
Unit Commander Dates of service Notes
Unit 848 Col. Yoel Ben-Porat 1972–1976 Commanded during the 1973 Yom Kippur War.[40] Start and end dates per Hebrew Wikipedia list only.[39]
Unit 8200 Reuven Yerdor (Yeredor) c.1980–1984 In post c.1982.[41] 1980–84 per Hebrew Wikipedia list only.[39]
Unit 8200 Elie Barr 1987–1990 [42]
Unit 8200 Aharon Zeevi Farkash 1990–1993 Later head of Aman.[43]
Unit 8200 Brig. Gen. Hanan Gefen (Geffen) 1993–1997 Uncertain. Dates per Hebrew Wikipedia list only;[39] the previous version of this page placed him "post-2005", which conflicts with the documented tenures of Cohen and Harari. Described as a former commander in Forbes, 2007.[44]
Unit 8200 Brig. Gen. Pinhas Buchris 1997–2001 Later Director-General of the Defence Ministry. Dates per Hebrew Wikipedia list.[39]
Unit 8200 Brig. Gen. Yair Cohen 2001–2005 Served 33 years in the unit, the last five as commander.[9]
Unit 8200 Brig. Gen. Dani Harari 2005–2009 Previously deputy commander; succeeded in 2009 by his own deputy, Nadav Zafrir.[45] 2005 start per Hebrew Wikipedia list.[39]
Unit 8200 Nadav Zafrir 2009–2013 Later co-founder of Team8 and, from December 2024, CEO of Check Point.[46][47] Globes gives 2005–2008, apparently conflating his period as deputy.[48]
Unit 8200 Brig. Gen. Ehud Schneorson 2013–2017 Uncertain. Per Hebrew Wikipedia list only.[39]
Unit 8200 Brig. Gen. Asaf Kochan (Assaf Kochan) 2017–2021 Described in March 2022 as having headed the unit "until last year".[49] 2017 start per Hebrew Wikipedia list.[39]
Unit 8200 Brig. Gen. Yossi Sariel February 2021 – 2025 Announced resignation in September 2024 over the 7 October failures;[18] remained until his successor took command in 2025.[19]
Unit 8200 Brig. Gen. "A" (name withheld) 2025 – present Assumed command in a ceremony at the unit's southern base.[20][23] Date uncertain: Hebrew sources indicate early 2025 (March per Hebrew Wikipedia); the previous version of this page gave November 2025.

Tech sector alumni

A Forbes article by Former Unit 8200 member Gil Kerbs, stated that "Israel's high-tech world is "flooded" with Unit alumni, as entrepreneurs and company founders or junior and senior executives.":

"Take Nice, Comverse and Check Point for example, three of the largest high-tech companies, which were all directly influenced by 8200 technology," says [former Unit 8200 commander Hanan] Gefen. "Check Point was founded by Unit alumni. Comverse's main product, the Logger, is based on the Unit's technology. Look at Metacafe, one of the hottest companies today. Eyal Herzog, one of the founders, is also an 8200 alumnus and he accumulated a huge amount of relevant experience in the Unit."[44]

More than 1,000 companies are estimated to have been founded by Unit 8200 veterans; at least five publicly traded U.S. tech firms started by alumni are collectively valued at around $160 billion.[50][51]

Hundreds of alumni are employed by global tech giants. A 2022 MintPress News investigation based on public LinkedIn profiles identified at least 166 former members at Microsoft and 99 at Google;[52] Drop Site News reported in 2025 that Microsoft alone employed roughly 250 veterans.[53]

Author James Bamford and former CIA officer Philip Giraldi have suggested that the role of Unit 8200 veterans in the telecommunications industry is a threat to US national security.[54]

A US diplomatic cable released by Wikileaks in 2011, highlighted the role of former Unit 8200 personnel in Hazard Threat Analysis, Ltd. (HTA), a private company specializing in internet-based counter-terrorism (CT) intelligence gathering.[55]

Selected founders and senior executives

Only founders and senior executives publicly identified as Unit 8200 alumni in reliable sources are listed here.

Controversies

  • Surveillance of Palestinians: criticised by its own reservists in 2014 and, in 2025, by reporting on its storage of intercepted calls on Microsoft Azure, which led Microsoft to cut off some services. See above.
  • AI targeting: the unit's commander advocated automated target generation, and systems such as Lavender and the Gospel have been linked to mass civilian casualties in Gaza. See above.
  • 7 October 2023: intelligence failures leading to the resignation of commander Yossi Sariel.
  • Sharing of US citizens' data: the 2009 NSA–ISNU agreement allowed raw intercepts, potentially including Americans' communications, to be passed to Israel.[28]
  • Revolving door to the tech industry: concerns about alumni in telecommunications and big tech. See above.

External Resources

Notes

  1. ↑ Amos Harel, Mystery surrounds suicide of officer from elite intel unit, Haaretz, 5 June 2009.
  2. ↑ Stacy Perman, Spies Inc. Business Innovation from Israel's Masters of Espionage, Pearson Education, 2005, p.12.
  3. ↑ Report: NSA routinely shares raw intelligence with Israel, Israel Hayom, 12 September 2013.
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 Yuval Abraham, Microsoft storing Israeli intelligence trove used to attack Palestinians, +972 Magazine, 6 August 2025.
  5. ↑ Ephraim Kahana, Historical Dictionary of Israeli Intelligence, Scarecrow Press, 2006, p.43.
  6. ↑ Dima P. Adamsky, American and Israeli Intelligence Failure, in Nigel John Ashton, ed., The Cold War in the Middle East: Regional Conflict and the Superpowers, 1967-73, Routledge, 2007, p.124.
  7. ↑ Dima P. Adamsky, American and Israeli Intelligence Failure, in Nigel John Ashton, ed., The Cold War in the Middle East: Regional Conflict and the Superpowers, 1967-73, Routledge, 2007, p.130.
  8. ↑ Ephraim Kahana, Historical Dictionary of Israeli Intelligence, Scarecrow Press, 2006, p.43.
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 9.3 Center for Security Studies (CSS), ETH Zürich, Trend Analysis: The Israeli Unit 8200 – An OSINT-based study, CSS Cyber Defense Project, December 2019.
  10. ↑ Amos Harel, Mystery surrounds suicide of officer from elite intel unit, Haaretz, 5 June 2009.
  11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 Erich Follath and Holger Stark, The Story of 'Operation Orchard': How Israel Destroyed Syria's Al Kibar Nuclear Reactor, Der Spiegel, 2 November 2009.
  12. ↑ Reuters, Israel admits bombing suspected Syrian nuclear reactor in 2007, warns Iran, Reuters, March 2018.
  13. ↑ Unit 8200 and Israel's high-tech whiz kids, upi.com, 4 June 2012.
  14. ↑ Duqu 2.0: computer virus 'linked to Israel' found at Iran nuclear talks venue, The Guardian, 11 June 2015.
  15. ↑ Bundeskanzlerin im FOCUS-InterviewGiftgasmassaker in Syrien: Merkel fordert Zugang für UN-Inspekteure, Focus, 24 August 2013.
  16. ↑ Adiv Sterman, ‘IDF intercepted Syrian regime chatter on chemical attack’, The Times of Israel, 26 August 2013.
  17. ↑ The Jerusalem Post, IDF intelligence Unit 8200 commander informs Halevi of resignation The Jerusalem Post, 12 September 2024.
  18. ↑ 18.0 18.1 The Times of Israel, ‘I did not fulfill my mission’: Commander of IDF’s 8200 intelligence unit resigns The Times of Israel, 12 September 2024.
  19. ↑ 19.0 19.1 The Jerusalem Post, 'I wish to part with forgiveness': Outgoing commander says he failed The Jerusalem Post, 2025.
  20. ↑ 20.0 20.1 N12, אחרי מחדל 7 באוקטובר: מפקד חדש מונה ליחידה 8200 (After the 7 October failure: a new commander appointed to Unit 8200), N12/Mako, 2025 (Hebrew).
  21. ↑ 21.0 21.1 Top Israeli spy chief exposes his true identity in online security lapse, The Guardian, 5 April 2024.
  22. ↑ Reuters, Hezbollah pager attack puts spotlight on Israel's cyber warfare Unit 8200, Reuters, 18 September 2024.
  23. ↑ 23.0 23.1 Ynet News, Brig. Gen. A. appointed as new commander of Unit 8200 Ynet News.
  24. ↑ Rashi Foundation, Magshimim, Rashi Foundation, accessed 16 October 2026.
  25. ↑ Cnaan Lipshitz, Native English speakers have lost exclusive status with IDF Intelligence, Haaretz, 17 July 2012.
  26. ↑ Ron Schleifer, Psychological Warfare in the Intifada: Israeli And Palestinian Media Politics And Military Strategies, Sussex Academic Press, 2005, p.5.
  27. ↑ 27.0 27.1 Barak Ravid, Officials: Israel outsources monitoring of Palestinian media after IDF lapse, Haaretz, 31 January 2012.
  28. ↑ 28.0 28.1 28.2 Glenn Greenwald, Laura Poitras and Ewen MacAskill, NSA shares raw intelligence including Americans' data with Israel, Guardian, 11 September 2013.
  29. ↑ Peter Beaumont, Israeli intelligence veterans refuse to serve in Palestinian territories, The Guardian, 12 September 2014.
  30. ↑ Israeli intelligence veterans' letter to Netanyahu and military chiefs – in full, The Guardian, 12 September 2014.
  31. ↑ ‘A million calls an hour’: Israel relying on Microsoft cloud for expansive surveillance of Palestinians, The Guardian, 6 August 2025.
  32. ↑ Brad Smith, Update on ongoing Microsoft review, Microsoft On the Issues, 25 September 2025.
  33. ↑ Microsoft blocks Israel’s use of its technology in mass surveillance of Palestinians, The Guardian, 25 September 2025.
  34. ↑ Microsoft terminates services for Israeli military after investigation into mass surveillance of Palestinians, CNN, 25 September 2025.
  35. ↑ Yuval Abraham, ‘A mass assassination factory’: Inside Israel’s calculated bombing of Gaza, +972 Magazine, 30 November 2023.
  36. ↑ 36.0 36.1 36.2 Yuval Abraham, ‘Lavender’: The AI machine directing Israel’s bombing spree in Gaza, +972 Magazine, 3 April 2024.
  37. ↑ ‘The machine did it coldly’: Israel used AI to identify 37,000 Hamas targets, The Guardian, 3 April 2024.
  38. ↑ Digital trail identifying Israeli spy chief has been online for years, The Guardian, 9 April 2024.
  39. ↑ 39.0 39.1 39.2 39.3 39.4 39.5 39.6 39.7 יחידה 8200 – מפקדי היחידה, Hebrew Wikipedia, accessed 16 October 2026. (Secondary compilation; used only where no better source was found.)
  40. ↑ Ephraim Kahana, Historical Dictionary of Israeli Intelligence, Scarecrow Press, 2006, p.43.
  41. ↑ Seymour M. Hersh, The Samson Option: Israel, America and the Bomb, Faber and Faber, 1993, p.293.
  42. ↑ Stacy Perman, Spies Inc. Business Innovation from Israel's Masters of Espionage, Pearson Education, 2005, p.76.
  43. ↑ Stacy Perman, Spies Inc. Business Innovation from Israel's Masters of Espionage, Pearson Education, 2005, p.97.
  44. ↑ 44.0 44.1 44.2 Gil Kerbs, The Unit, Forbes, 8 February 2007.
  45. ↑ Check Point's X-Factor: Can Nadav Zafrir wake the sleeping giant?, Ctech (Calcalist).
  46. ↑ Nadav Zafrir to replace Gil Shwed as CEO of Check Point, Ctech (Calcalist), July 2024.
  47. ↑ How Israel builds its hi-tech start-ups, BBC News, 2016.
  48. ↑ 48.0 48.1 Assaf Gilead, Check Point names Nadav Zafrir next CEO, Globes, 24 July 2024.
  49. ↑ Meir Orbach, Outgoing 8200 commander: "Organizations don't know where their information is", Ctech (Calcalist), 24 March 2022.
  50. ↑ Wall Street Journal, Silicon Valley’s Hot Talent Pipeline Is an Israeli Army Unit Wall Street Journal, 31 August 2024.
  51. ↑ Forbes, Inside Israel’s Secret Startup Machine Forbes, 11 May 2016.
  52. ↑ 52.0 52.1 Alan MacLeod, Revealed: The Former Israeli Spies Working in Top Jobs at Google, Facebook, Microsoft and Amazon MintPress News, 31 October 2022.
  53. ↑ 53.0 53.1 Drop Site News, Hundreds of Former Israeli Spies Are Working in Big Tech Drop Site News, 13 August 2025.
  54. ↑ Christopher Ketcham, Full-Spectrum Penetration: Israeli Spying in the United States, 12 March 2009.
  55. ↑ Private Israeli Company Collects Counter-terrorism Intelligence, Wikileaks, 1 September 2011.
  56. ↑ How I Got Here: Nir Zuk, CTO, Palo Alto Networks, Computerworld.
  57. ↑ Yarden Rozanski, From IDF Intelligence to a $32B Google deal: The Wiz founders’ epic journey, Ctech (Calcalist), 18 March 2025.
  58. ↑ Rebecca Bellan, Google wraps up $32B acquisition of cloud cybersecurity startup Wiz, TechCrunch, 11 March 2026.
  59. ↑ Google, Google completes acquisition of Wiz, Google blog, 11 March 2026.
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