KGB human intelligence operations in Israel 1948-73

Israel has been a target of Soviet intelligence collection since its independence in 1948. Operating out of the Soviet Embassy in Tel-Aviv, a large contingent of KGB case officers ran a string of agents deep inside Israel's security and diplomatic establishments. The article examines KGB human intelligence operations in Israel in the years 1948-67 and assesses the importance of diplomatic cover for effective human intelligence operations. Once diplomatic relations were severed, in 1967, the KGB lost much of its local capabilities and had to rely on 'illegal' case officers to run its agents in Israel, whose effectiveness was often compromised by Shabak double agent penetrations.