Trump and Netanyahu turn their own blindness into a weapon of mass destruction

The French word renseignement translates as "intelligence" in English. In fact, the collection of data is a pointless exercise if it is not interpreted within a framework that is operationally coherent because it is intellectually sound. The historic failure of Israeli intelligence on October 7, 2023, stemmed from this very inability to turn a mass of information into clear and solid conclusions. That failure only deepened with the war to annihilate Gaza, as Israel's elimination of much of Hamas's leadership and command did not undermine Islamist control over what remains of the Palestinian enclave. The same error in judgment led to the launch, on February 28, of the Israeli-American offensive against Iran. The certainty that Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and his inner circle would be eliminated from the outset was enough to trigger a war whose conduct quickly proved erratic, with the elimination of other identified leaders becoming a substitute for policy. Clearly, US President Donald Trump was still intoxicated by the success of the American raid on Caracas, carried out in the early hours of January 3. That operation, as spectacular as it was complex, resulted in the capture of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his wife, who were indicted for "narcoterrorism" upon their arrival in the US. Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutia, who had claimed victory against Maduro on behalf of the opposition after the highly contested July 2024 presidential election, declared himself ready to assume power. He was supported in this by Maria Corina Machado, winner of the 2025 Nobel Peace Prize, which she dedicated to Trump and the people of Venezuela. Machado met with Trump, hoping to win his favor by offering him her own Nobel Prize. However, the president had no interest in supporting a political transition in Venezuela. He much preferred to strike a deal with Vice President Delcy Rodriguez, who became interim head of state and agreed to a form of US oversight, particularly over Venezuela's hydrocarbons sector. You have 61.57% of this article left to read. The rest is for subscribers only.