Former Mossad Official Urges Netanyahu to Formally Define Cognitive Warfare

Former senior Mossad official Sagiv Asulin called on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during a broadcast to formally designate the cognitive and influence warfare front as an official security threat. Asulin stressed that beyond the designation, a dedicated national body must be established to handle the challenge.

The Undefined Threat

According to Asulin, the failure lies within the structural architecture rather than the personnel. He warned that without an official cabinet designation, there will be no force buildup, no designated budget, no operational plans, and no accountability. Responsibility currently scatters among various bodies, including the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the IDF Spokesperson's Unit, the National Security Council (NSC), and volunteer groups.

I believe the prime minister when he promises to handle the eighth front and win it, just as he conquered seven physical kinetic fronts. The gap is not between belief and doubt, but between a declaration and a mechanism.

Proposed Framework

Asulin presented an outline under his "Eighth Front" initiative, which relies on the logic that led to success on other fronts:

• Threat Designation: Cabinet declaration of the cognitive front as a formal security threat.

• Managing Body: Establishment of a comprehensive influence body subordinate to the Prime Minister's Office.

• Intelligence Logic: Mapping funding sources and operations of influence systems acting against Israel.

Global incitement, delegitimization campaigns, and international rulings are merely visible symptoms of a deeper struggle, Asulin concluded.