Two major security incidents in Israel over the past two weeks. Very different stories, but both seem to share one thing: responsibility falling through the cracks.

1. The Flydubai near-disaster. The Shin Bet stepped away from securing foreign flights to Israel, while the Ministry of Transportation apparently failed to fully assume that responsibility. Nearly 180 passengers were put at risk because of this gap in ownership.
2. Yonatan Urich’s WhatsApp leak. A close adviser to the Prime Minister, but not formally a government employee, operating outside normal government security oversight. His exposed credentials and poorly secured integrations may have contributed to a massive leak of private communications. Now an unknown party gets to decide what to release, and when.

Two very different incidents, but the same underlying problem: Who actually owns the risk?

Responsibility doesn’t stop with the person who could have directly prevented a failure. It extends up the chain to those who establish policies, set priorities, appoint people, oversee their work, and set the culture. When risks fall between organizational boundaries, ensuring someone takes ownership is itself a leadership responsibility. And when everyone can explain why something wasn’t their responsibility, that doesn’t mean nobody was responsible.

Not every tragedy has someone to blame. But when foreseeable risks are left unowned, failure is no orphan.