Israeli broadcaster KAN News reported that an official from a Middle Eastern country advised an official from another Middle Eastern country to pursue an agreement with Israel while secretly preparing for war and planning to violate the agreement. While this information was cleared for publication by the Israeli censor, the identities of the countries involved were not revealed.

Hamas documents from June similarly revealed that the terrorist group organized an effort to dupe Israel into believing it sought stability while preparing for an attack. Its multilevel strategy included feigning interest in economic opportunities offered by Israel and refraining from fighting during rounds of conflict, allowing Palestinian Islamic Jihad to play the bad cop to Hamas’ good cop. The ruse worked, lulling Israel into a sense of complacency that left it entirely unprepared for the Oct. 7 attack.

“Anyone who thought we could entrust the security of our sons to agreements and guarantees from those around us received a painful slap in the face this morning,” National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir said, reacting to the news report from KAN.

“Behind all these agreements rooted in the failed conception lie lies and deception. These are agreements whose purpose is to lull us to sleep ahead of the next blow,” he added.

Meanwhile, Israel and Lebanon have engaged in multiple rounds of talks with the goals of disarming Hezbollah and helping the Lebanese government reclaim its sovereignty over Lebanon, with Israel agreeing to a phased withdrawal from any section that is freed from Hezbollah’s control.

Syria is also in talks with Israel to establish an agreement on security arrangements between the two countries, with Syria’s President Ahmed al-Sharaa telling Al-Jazeera recently that he hopes to eventually achieve a comprehensive peace deal that excludes relinquishing Syria’s claim to the Golan Heights.