Officials in one of the countries in the region advised officials in another country to adopt a policy of tactical flexibility and reach an agreement with Israel, with the aim of “lulling" Israel into a false sense of security while preparations were underway for a large-scale military campaign.

Kan Reshet Bet reported that during contacts between the sides, the officials suggested that their counterparts reach an agreement with Israel in order to violate it at a later stage, while continuing parallel preparations for military action.

This approach is consistent with the pattern of conduct adopted by Yahya Sinwar, who created the impression in Israel that he was prepared to maintain calm in exchange for calm, while simultaneously working on plans for the October 7 massacre.

The reports raise a particularly troubling question: Similar to what Israel experienced with Hamas before October 7, is Israel once again convincing itself that countries in the region are genuinely interested in advancing normalization with the state? In other words, is Israel once again falling victim to a “conception"?