The inspiration derives from two thick volumes, unreadable masterpieces due to their length, written about British intelligence services, MI6 (equivalent to the Mossad) and MI5 (equivalent to the Shin Bet), at the organizations' initiative, by renowned historians who gained almost unlimited access to internal documents.

For the Mossad, this is an almost-first public release, one that deals with the establishment of the Mossad and its early years, and it contains many fascinating treasures, even if they are written in cautious academic language, and the reader must complete the adventure, the emotional turmoil, and the drama hidden behind the words in their imagination. Much has already been written about the organization's major operations during the period covered by the book before this one including the capture of Eichmann, the locating of the kidnapped boy Yossele Schumacher, and the operations to thwart the activities of German scientists in Egypt. Therefore, the most innovative chapters are those that rely almost exclusively on internal sources. Thus, a great deal of information is revealed about the three operational units – Tzomet, the unit for recruiting and running agents, which in the Mossad's early days controlled most of the operational activity; Mifratz, the unit for running clandestine combatants (after its merger with the parallel unit in Aman, Unit 188, Mifratz became the unit named Caesarea); and Tevel, the unit for covert cooperation with foreign intelligence services.

The book also provides us with a rare glimpse into the Mossad's economic unit, which handled collecting economic intelligence, executing secret economic missions, establishing economic infrastructures that served as cover for operational activities of its internal units Mifratz and Tzomet, and also "diverse economic activity designed not only to collect economic intelligence but also to obtain budgets for activities." Here lies a hint to what can only be imagined – how the Mossad "obtained" funds. This activity characterized an organization in its early days and a state just taking its first steps. When the state and the Mossad matured somewhat, this unit was permanently closed.

In November 1959, then-director Isser Harel decided to establish a special framework for dealing with penetration into Arab countries using covert fighters. The covert fighter is an Israeli in every respect, capable of maintaining deep cover, as an Arab or as a European, and operating for extended periods or in short forays in enemy countries. This involves extremely dangerous activity under conditions of extreme isolation. Tzomet unit initially also handled this activity, but Isser understood that it required special expertise and strict compartmentalization. The new unit was called "Mifratz," and its first commanders were Efraim Ronel (who soon moved to command the activity for bringing North African Jews to Israel), Izi Dorot, and Yitzhak Shamir (who was among the Stern Gang's senior members and would later become Israel's prime minister).

The book mentions several male and female fighters, some married to each other. For example, "Moshe" and "Lady," converts who immigrated to Israel and operated in one of the Arab countries. "Moshe" worked in the Arab country as an agronomist (his real profession) and as a representative of a European seed company. He utilized his work trips to the agricultural regions to conduct reconnaissance tours for warning missions and collecting field intelligence and operational intelligence. "Gadi" positioned himself with his wife and son in Beirut and operated in Lebanon and Syria.

"Hadass" and her husband "Lawyer" positioned themselves in one of the enemy countries, and "Lawyer" operated in the country as part of a European archaeological mission. Three of the fighters were called "Shamir's boys." Shamir knew them well from his past and knew how to operate them despite their stormy temperament. Three non-Jewish fighters also operated in Mifratz unit, which had become synonymous with the state and its daring operations. When Harel's term as head of the Mossad ended, the unit comprised 17 fighters. When Meir Amit entered the position of head of the Mossad, Military Intelligence's fighter unit, Unit 188, which was much larger than Mifratz, transferred to the Mossad. The two fighter units merged and became the legendary Caesarea unit, which specialized over the years in operating fighters in enemy countries and special operations worldwide.

In the 1950s, it was Tzomet unit that operated (among its numerous occupations) fighters in target and base. In this context, we should mention the operations the unit executed to infiltrate fighters into diplomatic missions of Arab countries. For example, "Tal," daughter of a Jewish family that immigrated from Iraq, operated as an Arab impersonator under the cover of a Christian refugee from the Land of Israel. She was hired to work in the offices of an Arab mission in one of the Western countries, obtained substantial information from within the mission, and even acquired the mission's keys, which enabled the unit's operatives to break into the offices several times secretly and photograph numerous documents.

Tzomet's central mission was and remains recruiting spies from enemy countries and operating them. This constitutes a central doctrine of the Mossad's warfare, requiring deep understanding of the human soul, strong personal presence and considerable manipulativeness. This complex world sometimes attracts questionable individuals to the Mossad, like yes,, who was dismissed from the Mossad even before his operational training was completed. The book reveals that an even more serious affair occurred right with the Mossad's establishment

In 1948, the Foreign Ministry's "Daat" department, from which Tzomet emerged, recruited David Magen, who volunteered for the IDF after claiming he had accumulated rich intelligence experience as an officer in the South African army. He possessed a perfect European appearance, polished English, a vibrant and charismatic personality, and an authentic Christian name, Ted Cross. He was sent twice to an Arab country for intelligence collection missions. On his way there for the third time, he was arrested in Italy, and drugs intended to finance his activities were found in his car. He managed to get released, but later it became clear that he had offered his services to the embassy of an Arab country in France, and passed extensive and detailed information on various intelligence matters, including the name of the head of an Israeli intelligence network in that country. Magen was secretly tried in 1953 and sentenced to 14 years in prison, which was reduced on appeal to the Supreme Court to 11. Through his betrayal, Magen caused serious damage to the Mossad's collection efforts.

"From Bureau to Mossad – The Early Years of the Israeli Mossad 1949-1963" was written by historian and Middle East scholar Dr. Uri Rost and the late Shai Raz, who served in the Mossad for many years, held a master's degree in history, and devoted himself to writing the book as a retiree from the organization. The book was written based on conversations with many employees in the organization, internal documents, and Isser Harel's diary, which according to Rost "met regularly with David Ben-Gurion every two weeks. Neither of them produced a written summary of what transpired between them. Ben-Gurion was satisfied with only three words: 'Isser came to me.'"

The transformation of the Mossad into a modern organization began during Meir Amit's period as head. It is hoped that the Mossad will publish an unclassified book about this period as well. The organization preserves the secret history of its activities as a trustee of the public in general, and of Israeli history researchers in particular, and publishing books like "From Bureau to Mossad" represents a worthy and blessed fulfillment of its responsibility and faithfulness.

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The company said on Wednesday that third-quarter sales will be about $54 billion through October. That figure matched average Wall Street estimates, but some analysts had expected more than $60 billion, according to Bloomberg. The guidance raised concerns that the pace of AI investment may not be sustainable, particularly as Nvidia faces headwinds in China. Although the Trump administration recently eased export restrictions on some AI chips, Bloomberg noted that the policy shift has yet to produce a rebound in sales.

Nvidia shares fell 3% in extended trading following the announcement. The stock had already gained 35% this year, lifting the company's valuation beyond $4 trillion. Chief Executive Officer Jensen Huang rejected suggestions during a call with analysts that demand for AI infrastructure is waning. "The opportunity ahead is immense," Huang said, quoted by Bloomberg. "We see $3 trillion to $4 trillion in AI infrastructure spend by the end of the decade."

The company's board approved an additional $60 billion stock repurchase program. Nvidia still had $14.7 billion remaining under its previous buyback plan at the close of the second quarter, Bloomberg reported.

For the second quarter, which ended July 27, revenue rose 56% to $46.7 billion, narrowly topping analyst expectations of $46.2 billion. That gain added more than $16 billion year-on-year but marked the slowest percentage growth in over two years. Adjusted earnings per share were $1.05, ahead of the $1.01 forecast.

The data center unit, larger than any other single chipmaker, posted $41.1 billion in revenue, slightly under expectations of $41.3 billion. Gaming sales rebounded to $4.29 billion, beating the $3.8 billion projection. Automotive revenue reached $586 million, slightly short of estimates. The results suggested major data center operators may moderate spending if near-term AI application returns remain uncertain, analyst Jacob Bourne told Bloomberg.

Nvidia's challenges also stem from the US-China technology rivalry. In April, the Trump administration tightened restrictions on exports of advanced processors, cutting Nvidia off from the Chinese market. Washington later eased that ban, allowing some shipments in exchange for 15% of the revenue. But Bloomberg reported that the policy has yet to be fully codified, leaving uncertainty. Beijing has also encouraged Chinese entities to replace US suppliers.

Nvidia said it made no H20 chip sales to Chinese clients in the second quarter, a roughly $4 billion drop from the prior period. Its third-quarter forecast likewise excluded those sales. The company acknowledged legal and financial risks if the US government enforces its revenue-sharing plan. "Any request for a percentage of the revenue by the USG may subject us to litigation, increase our costs, and harm our competitive position and benefit competitors that are not subject to such arrangements," Nvidia said in a filing, quoted by Bloomberg.

Huang said Nvidia could still ship between $2 billion and $5 billion of H20 chips to China this quarter, depending on licensing approvals. Chief Financial Officer Colette Kress told analysts that demand remains high. "If we had more orders, we can bill more," she said. Huang added that Nvidia continues to push Washington to allow exports of its new Blackwell chips. "The opportunity for us to bring Blackwell to the China market is a real possibility," he said, quoted by Bloomberg. "We just have to keep advocating the sensibility of and the importance of American tech companies to be able to lead and win the AI race."

According to Bloomberg, Huang estimated that if more advanced products could be sold in China, Nvidia could tap into a $50 billion market growing 50% annually.

Founded 32 years ago, Nvidia has risen from a niche graphics card supplier to a dominant force in computing. As recently as 2022, it generated less annual revenue than it now earns in a quarter. The company is on pace to book $200 billion this year, with projections topping $300 billion by 2028, or about one-third of the global chip market.

Much of Nvidia's success comes from sales to a handful of hyperscale clients including Microsoft and Amazon, which together account for about half its business, Bloomberg reported. To reduce reliance on these customers, Huang is expanding into software, networking, and complete computing systems. He also pushes Nvidia's engineering teams to speed up innovation cycles.

For now, Nvidia dominates the AI chip market with little challenge. Efforts by rivals such as Advanced Micro Devices and in-house projects by cloud providers have not dented its share significantly. Yet the company remains constrained by supply, since it outsources production mainly to Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. Meeting surging demand for its latest technologies continues to be a bottleneck.

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Based on foreign reports and Israeli assessments, the raid was likely meant to counter the Syrian army's activity of trying to dismantle the installed Israeli listening devices. Six Syrian soldiers were killed in Israeli strikes on Wednesday in the same area after they attempted to dismantle the IDF's listening posts, according to reports.

Video: The alleged Israeli strikes in Syria on Wednesday August 28, 2025 (Credit: Social media)

In the al-Kiswah region, the Iranians have been active in recent years, establishing weapon and armament depots alongside the weapon depots of the Syrian army's 1st Division. Approximately two years ago, the Israeli Air Force struck Iranian targets in the region.

A pro-Syrian communication network that broadcasts from Turkey reported unusual IDF activity shortly before midnight, lasting for about two hours. The IDF, it said, conducted about 15 strikes in the Tel Manea and al-Kiswah area in the southern Damascus Governorate, where Syrian army headquarters were attacked, presumably to soften the area before IDF helicopters landed troops in the Sweida Governorate and in al-Kiswah.

The strikes by Israeli Air Force aircraft stopped Syrian forces from approaching the site where the listening equipment was located. The Al-Jazeera network also confirmed through its sources that IDF forces had landed in the al-Kiswah area.

According to assessments, the prolonged presence of the commandos on the ground was designed to gather documents and additional findings to better understand Iranian activities and intentions in the region.

Official Israel has not issued a formal response to the operation, but Minister of Defense Israel Katz boasted on the X network Thursday morning with a message that could be interpreted as a hint about the operation, stating, "Our forces are operating in all combat zones day and night for the security of Israel."

The operation is occurring against the backdrop of the continuing collapse of the Syrian regime and Israel's efforts to reinforce its strategic foothold in Syria, while preventing renewed Iranian entrenchment in the region.

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NVIDIA's earnings report for Q2 comes out today, August 28, 2024. CEO Jensen Huang has everyone awaiting his comments and watching his every move, with a potential market reaction of +/-9%. His reports could potentially give the all-clear on the AI revolution NVIDIA has triggered – or alternatively, sound the alarm that we could be facing a bubble-scale hype in this sector. To get a sense of just how global this bated breath is, just tune in to Israel's leading financial YouTube, Micha Stocks, whose 100K+ audience won't stop talking about the hyperscaler's crucible. If this is the amount of interest in Israel, just imagine what the atmosphere is among those who actually work in the business. Micha Stock has been talking about NVIDIA non-stop and will even live stream the event, even though the vast majority of Israelis will be sound asleep when Jensen speaks on the reports.

Regardless of what emerges in those reports, NVIDIA's dominance is clear – as is the fact that nothing will stay the same: AI is here to stay – and we are going to benefit from what this company has managed to do both on Wall Street and on Main Street. The company has become a household name almost as much as Taylor Swift only over the past two years because ordinary people saw what it could do on their end – its chips are what fuel the chatbots that make each one of us grateful we don't have to do laborious tasks done by ChatGPT, Claude, and the likes.

But not many know that NVIDIA has been around since the early 1990s. Why has it only emerged now as a dominant force, shaping the future of data centers, AI, and gaming like no company has ever done before? Behind the Silicon Valley giant's meteoric rise lies a lesser-known but equally compelling story: The critical role of Israel in fueling NVIDIA's global strategy and technological innovations.

The turning point, according to many analysts, came in March 2019, when NVIDIA acquired Israeli company Mellanox Technologies for $6.9 billion – and never looked back. This bold move redefined NVIDIA's trajectory in the tech world. Mellanox's InfiniBand and Ethernet technologies proved vital to the future of data centers and cloud computing. By integrating these capabilities with its own GPUs, NVIDIA created a seamless, high-performance ecosystem capable of handling the massive data loads required for AI and machine learning.

The Yoqne'am-based Mellanox's founder and then-CEO Eyal Waldman, said at the time: "We share the same vision for accelerated computing as NVIDIA," adding that "combining our two companies comes as a natural extension of our longstanding partnership and is a great fit given our common performance-driven cultures. This combination will foster the creation of powerful technology and fantastic opportunities for our people." Mellanox's headquarters are on the foothills of Mount Carmel. The Bible tells us that on that mountain the Prophet Elijah performed the miracle of lighting water on fire to prove that the idolators were wrong and the monotheists were right; from that mountain, you can see Tel Megiddo, where many battles took place, and where Christians believe that Armageddon will happen and a new era will emerge in the end of times. That mountain overlooks the Jezreel Valley, and one can see Nazareth, from where Jesus' family hailed, and Mount Tabor, the site of his transfiguration, as well as many other sites associated with his life and times. How befitting and symbolic, then, that NVIDIA's revolution started on Mount Carmel; the end of times – from pre-generative AI to the current era – was sparked by a simple acquisition of Mellanox.

This was a match made from heaven, which helped catapult NVIDIA to the top-tier megatech world and make it a 3-trillion-dollar company and made Israel synonymous with its success, shining a digital spotlight on the Jewish state's Start-Up Nation once more. In fact, although NVIDIA has never been political, this bond between NVIDIA and Israel has been so close that during the recent war in the wake of the Oct. 7 atrocities committed by Hamas, the company has never tried to distance itself from the Jewish state, nor did it hide that one of its employees – Avinatan Or – was taken hostage (Noa Argamani, his girlfriend, was also kidnapped and her footage being violently taken shook many. She was heroically rescued by Israeli forces in July). NVIDIA has also helped Israeli and Palestinian civilians suffering by donating generous sums and has helped Israeli employees who had been called up to serve.

Danielle Waldman (24) and Noam Shai (26), newly engaged, managed to escape the massacre at the Nova Party, when contact with them was lost. Danielle's family found her location on her iPhone, and arrived to see bloodied, bullet riddled car where the couple was murdered by Hamas… pic.twitter.com/l3T5vehFQi

— Yael Bar tur (@yaelbt) November 1, 2023

The company's influence in Israel extends beyond its own operations. NVIDIA has become a significant player in the country's vibrant tech ecosystem, particularly in AI and data science. This symbiotic relationship has been mutually beneficial: NVIDIA's investment in Israel has fueled its growth, while Israel's tech sector has flourished, solidifying the country's status as a global leader in innovation. NVIDIA's presence in Israel has not only amplified its own capabilities but has also reinforced Israel's position as a critical hub in the global technology landscape.

The combination of Mellanox, Oct. 7, the spirit of ingenuity, and, above all – common sense and vision – made Israel and NVIDIA inextricably linked. Perhaps one day, we can all look back at this partnership on Mount Carmel as one of the Big Bang moments of AI, akin to the spark that was ignited in the music world by the collaboration of John Lennon and Paul McCartney. For the time being, regardless of what these Q2 reports transpire in 2024, all we have to do is sit back and enjoy the ride. NVIDIA and Israel are here to stay, through thick and thin. Changing the world is hard, but it appears that NVIDIA's secret sauce is –at least partially – derived from good-old Israeli hummus and some Middle Eastern spice.

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