Lessons from the Israel–Iran Conflict By Rafal Hyps, CEO, Sicuro Group
Since joining Sicuro Group earlier this year, I’ve seen crisis management in real time nearly every week — I was warned.
Lesson #1: What works doesn’t live in SharePoint. Policies don’t protect people. Action does. And action breaks down fast when teams are stuck in process, can’t make decisions, or don’t have the resources they need.
At Sicuro, we keep it simple: calm, clear, and fast. Crisis response is about execution, not theory.
Plans vs. Reality: Lessons from Israel–Iran
The recent escalation between Israel and Iran exposed a hard truth. Many firms with formal crisis frameworks failed — mainly because they had no real plan covering operations in, or involving, Iran. This was despite having staff and dependents on the ground.
1. Legal and Compliance Bottlenecks Legal teams delayed evacuations by reviewing contracts line by line. Fix: Have retainers or MSAs in place. In a crisis, you act, not negotiate.
2. Middleman Delays Some global providers had no local presence and scrambled to subcontract at the last minute. Fix: Work with partners who already have verified local teams. Our teams activated in three countries within 40 minutes. No middlemen.
3. Procurement Paralysis Evacuation requests stalled in procurement queues. Fix: Pre-authorise crisis budgets. Give people clear authority to act when time counts.
The Gaps That Get Missed
Too many crisis plans are written to tick a box — not to work under real pressure.
Insurance Confusion: Teams wasted time trying to confirm coverage for Iran and then Israel, debating whether it fell under war exclusions. Fix: Map your policies, limitations, and contacts clearly, in advance.
Unclear Support for Personal Travel: Staff who extended personal travel weren’t sure what support applied. In Iran, many dual nationals wrongly assumed protection from both employer and consular channels. Fix: Spell out your duty-of-care policies — especially for personal deviations.
Family Complications: Requests to evacuate dependents caused friction and delay. Fix: Define your dependents policy and communicate it in advance. Don’t leave it vague or verbal.
Communicate, Locate, Assist
If you can’t reach or locate your people quickly, nothing else matters.
Missing Documents: Evacuations were delayed due to lack of passport or visa access. Fix: Store digital copies centrally and securely.
Unclear Policies for Local Nationals: Some firms hadn’t decided how to handle local staff. HR and crisis teams weren’t aligned. Fix: Make your policy explicit. Share it with those affected.
Tech Failures: Mass notification tools failed across borders. We see this often. Systems procured centrally in the US or Europe don’t hold up in the Middle East, Africa, or Central Asia — where the game is different. The savings look smart until the system doesn’t work. Fix: Test systems globally. Understand that working SMS requires dedicated regional numbers — not one shared sender ID. The cheap version fails every time.
When “Low Risk” Becomes High Risk Fast
Crisis doesn’t always start in “high-risk” places. Israel and Lebanon are full of resilient people who don’t see risk the way it’s often described in corporate frameworks. Many of us holiday in Lebanon. We know the ground truth. The real issue comes when companies all scramble for the same limited resources — shelter-in-place options, transport, flights.
Evacuations from Israel were rarely necessary. Most who wanted to leave could do so by road to Jordan or Egypt. The real failure wasn’t the conflict — it was the lack of planning, communication, and understanding. All of it was avoidable. And still is.
Fix: Define risk triggers and escalation markers early. Don’t wait to guess.
Cheap Planning Costs More Later
Cutting corners now leads to bigger losses later. Real preparedness includes:
- Retained local response partners
- Pre-authorised crisis spend
- Functional, reliable tech
- Transparent policies for all staff
- Regular testing and crisis drills
- Clear insurance mapping
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Operational Readiness Is the Standard
A hotline isn’t a crisis plan. Readiness means having capable people and trusted partners already in place.
At Sicuro, our 24/7 Global Security Operations Center combines AI-driven threat monitoring with experienced human judgment. Our partners in more than 100 countries don’t wait for permission. They move.
When your team calls, we’re not finding the number. We’re already there.
Rafal Hyps is CEO of Sicuro Group, a global provider of crisis preparedness, risk intelligence, and duty-of-care solutions for multinational companies and governments.
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