IDF accidentally reveals the location of secret bases online

IDF accidentally reveals the location of secret bases online

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In an apparent operational security error, the IDF Home Front Command published the location of the IDF’s secret bases, Haaretz revealed Tuesday.

According HaaretzThe IDF Home Front Command carried a map of coronavirus testing facilities across the country, which included locations on the bases of the Israel Defense Forces. This not only provided the location of the IDF bases, but revealed the previously secret military intelligence and air force bases. The map was created in cooperation with the Ministry of Health and made available to Israeli citizens, until it was removed after the newspaper alerted the army about the error.

The map was detailed enough to include boundaries and base names.

When Haaretz contacted the IDF spokesman unit for comment, IDF admitted the error and said it was removed from the site and replaced with a version without the confidential information. Apparently, the locations of the coronavirus test sites on the secret bases were not put on the map by military officials.

The IDF generally does not publish the locations or boundaries of its bases as a precaution that they may be rocket targets, Haaretz noticed. In addition, providing details of secret bases can create operational security concerns for soldiers at the base, as additional information can be used by foreign intelligence services to target them.

This is not the first time that there is concern about the disclosure of information about secret IDF bases. The Jerusalem Post previously reported in two of these instances. In 2012, Hezbollah used a drone to film IDF ballistic missile sites, airfields and military drills before being intercepted by an IAF F-16I jet fighter. In 2016, the military banned the Pokémon Go phone app from the bases. There were concerns that soldiers using the application would have geolocation and access to the camera ready to be accessed by hostile foreign actors, or that a similar malicious application could be created and used to deceive soldiers.
The Home Front Command has been working closely with the Ministry of Health and other civilian bodies to establish testing and vaccination networks to combat the coronavirus pandemic. This could explain why non-military personnel were involved in publishing an IDF coronavirus map.

The command is an IDF unit dedicated to protecting the civilian population during the war and in various emergency situations. It maintains a search and rescue brigade for urgent disasters in Israel and abroad.

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