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Photo courtesy of the author
Authors and intelligence officers may seem like professions that are worlds apart, but they share more similarities than one might think. At their core, both roles involve storytelling. Yet, being an author or an intelligence officer isn’t merely a profession; it’s a way of life characterized by curiosity, observation, listening, imagination, attention to detail, and the constant pursuit of answers or fresh insights.
This is especially true for intelligence officers specializing in special operations – Humint (Human Intelligence) – and undercover activities, where the parallels are even more striking. Crafting a compelling character in a novel mirrors constructing a false identity necessary for operating undercover in hostile environments. In both cases, the goal is to create a believable and trustworthy persona by delicately blending fact and fiction. However, the consequences of failure differ significantly; while a poorly developed character might harm a book’s success, a flawed cover identity could jeopardize a person’s safety. The responsibility of breathing life into a character or cover identity is immense and must be approached with utmost seriousness.
I concluded sixteen years of active service in sensitive positions in the Israeli intelligence community in early 2011. Yet, as I’ve come to realize, being an intelligence officer is a lifelong commitment, particularly in Israel, where one never truly stops serving.
This truth became painfully evident on the horrible morning of October 7th, 2023, when I learned that Israel was at war. Like so many others, I donned my uniform, packed my bag, bid farewell to my family, and rushed to the unit where I served in the reserves. In an instant, I transitioned from a civilian to a lieutenant colonel — not merely in appearance but in mindset as well. My rapid shift into the role of an active intelligence officer – as if the twelve and a half years since my last active duty had evaporated – is a sensation shared by the other 360,000 reservists mobilized at that moment. This sentiment is poignantly captured in a recent song by the Israeli band Hatikva 6:
Everyone here has a hidden closet or a large, equipped box
They have a set of uniforms or a reservist cape, always ready for action.
Hey, It’s true that everyone here looks normal — but
We are a nation of superheroes
In each of us, there is always a soldier hidden,
Ready to save the world.
For every Israeli and Jew worldwide, life is now divided into before and after October 7, 2023. The trauma, pain, loss, and sorrow experienced are beyond words, yet countless accounts of this harrowing war have been written and will continue to be penned. Maybe I will also write about it in the future.
Many authors, including the famous Graham Greene, Ian Fleming, and John le Carré, transitioned from intelligence work to writing about espionage, drawing from their experiences. Similarly, my novels are rooted in real-life encounters, emotions, and reflections.
However, for the first time, my experience as a novelist informs my role as an intelligence officer. Though I can’t divulge specifics, as a reservist, I contribute to a team tasked with identifying opportunities for special operations. What insights can my literary background offer in this real-world context? The freedom to imagine, unbound by practical constraints, and the ability to construct a cohesive narrative leading from point A to B. Moreover, an understanding of human nature and motivations aids me in my work devising strategies.
More than once during this war, I found myself thinking about Benjamin Franklin’s words: “Either write something worth reading or do something worth writing.” Though there have been countless significant moments throughout this prolonged conflict, one that stands out profoundly for me — as both an intelligence officer and an author — is the story of the late Nitzan Liebstein. Just nineteen years old, Nitzan was brutally murdered in Kfar Aza on October 7th. His room was found charred, with a copy of my novel HASEDEK, the Hebrew origin of Operation Bethlehem, left on his bed.
In the days after the massacre, crowds of Israelis came to the affected areas to commemorate the murdered. So did a friend of mine who noticed the book and sent me a picture, evoking indescribable emotions within me. Meeting Nitzan’s mother and learning about her son and his final days deepened these sentiments. A few days later, I received news that the same book had won the National Jewish Book Award for Hebrew Fiction in Translation. Unfortunately, because of the war, I had to stay in Israel and couldn’t attend the in-ceremony to receive the prize. I feel that we, the IDF, are fighting this time not just for Israel but for the Jewish people. Though the road ahead may be extended, we will emerge stronger. Why? Because we have no other choice.
Yariv Inbar is the pseudonym of a novelist whose real identity has been banned from publication by the Israeli authorities. He burst onto the spy fiction scene in 2016, and quickly earned bestseller status in Israel, and received high praise from critics and readers alike. His wealth of experience from serving within Israeli intelligence brings a unique authenticity to his writing.