Israel and Mossad's impeccable success rate when it comes to thwarting external attacks has made the failure to anticipate the Hamas attack on Saturday all the more pressing.
It was October 6, 1973. On Yom Kippur, the holiest day in Judaism, a coalition of Arab nations launched surprise attacks on Israeli-occupied territories, sparking the Yom Kippur War.
Rockets were fired from Syria late Saturday after Israel began calling up police and army reservists following attacks that killed three people, including an Italian tourist, and earlier rocket fire from Lebanon.
Israel's extreme-right firebrand Itamar Ben-Gvir visited Jerusalem's Al-Aqsa mosque compound Tuesday for the first time since becoming a minister, his spokesman said, enraging Palestinians who see the move as a provocation.